How did social support and depressive symptoms relate over time for men and women?

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Numerous studies have found an association between social support and health, almost regardless of how either is defined or measured. However, causality has not been sufficiently addressed. This is particularly challenging for mental health problems such as depressive symptoms.

The study aimed to assess structural and functional aspects of social support in relation to depressive symptoms over time in men and women, using competing causal models that allow for bidirectional effects, unlike many other statistical methods. Researchers used questionnaire data from the Northern Swedish Cohort (n = 1,001) for 1995, when participants were age 30, and 2007, when they were age 42. They analysed associations using gender-specific structural equation modelling, modelling structural and functional support separately.

Both structural and functional support were associated with depressive symptoms at ages 30 and 42 in both men and women. Among men, higher support, particularly functional support, was associated with a decrease in depressive symptoms over time. Among women, social support and depressive symptoms showed bidirectional effects over time.

The researchers concluded that the social causation hypothesis seems relevant for men, while the associations appear more complex for women. They suggested that prevention and health promotion may need to consider that depressive symptoms themselves impede women's ability to increase their social support.