Relevance of Gender and Social Support in Self-Rated Health and Life Satisfaction in Elderly Spanish People

Background: Gender and social support are important social determinants of health, but the relevance of such variables in older people's health has raised less scholarly attention than in younger age groups. This study examines the relevance of gender and social support in the self-rated health and life satisfaction of elderly Spanish people. A cross-sectional study with a sample of 702 men and 754 women aged between 60 and 94 years was conducted. All participants were evaluated through questionnaires that assess gender role traits, social support, and life satisfaction. Results: Men scored higher than women in masculine/instrumental trait and in life satisfaction whereas women scored higher than men in feminine/expressive trait. Results from multiple regression analyses indicated that women and men presenting higher social support had better self-rated health and higher life satisfaction. High scores in masculine/instrumental trait also proved to be an important predictor of men's and women's high life satisfaction and of women's better self-rated health, whereas the high feminine/expressive trait predicted better self-rated health in the men group. A high educational level was associated in the women's group with better self-rated health and higher life satisfaction. Conclusions: We conclude that gender and social support are important social determinants of health among older people.