Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40442602›Full record

ArticleBMC geriatrics2025

Associations between social support and frailty and the mediating role of mental and physical health: evidence from CHARLS.

Li Mao, Yu Tian, Ling Zhang, Fang Lei, Guoying Wang, Jinxing He, Lijin Lin, Defeng Peng

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PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC geriatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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  10. Frailty Prediction Model for Elderly Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Patients.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2025
    Article
  11. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Li Mao *Gannan Innovation and Translational Medicine Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of New Drug Discovery and Development for Major Diseases, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China.
Yu Tian *Gannan Innovation and Translational Medicine Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of New Drug Discovery and Development for Major Diseases, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China.
Ling Zhang *Department of Obstertrics, Huanggang Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Huanggang, Hubei, China.
Fang LeiMedical Science Research Center, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Guoying WangGannan Innovation and Translational Medicine Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of New Drug Discovery and Development for Major Diseases, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China.
Jinxing HeGannan Innovation and Translational Medicine Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of New Drug Discovery and Development for Major Diseases, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China.
Lijin LinGannan Innovation and Translational Medicine Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of New Drug Discovery and Development for Major Diseases, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China. linlijin@whu.edu.cn.
Defeng PengDepartment of Chinese Medicine, Huanggang Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Huanggang, Hubei, China. pengdefeng@hgyy.org.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlthough studies have demonstrated associations between social support and frailty in older adults, the direction and underlying mechanisms of this relationship are yet to be better delineated. We aimed to investigate the association between different forms of social support and frailty, as well as the mediating role of physical and mental health in this association.

methodsParticipants were adults aged ≥ 60 from the 2011 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Social support (including formal and informal support), physical health, and mental health were the main variables. Frailty was evaluated using the Physical Frailty Phenotype (PFP) scale, and the relationships among these variables were examined using a structural equation model (SEM).

resultsThe final analysis included 4,511 participants, with a median age of 66.0 years. And the prevalence of frailty was 7.7%. Frailty was found to be influenced by both formal (β = -0.221, P < 0.001) and informal social support (β = -0.221, P < 0.001). Moreover, formal and informal social support demonstrated positive associations with mental and physical health (β = 0.720, 0.347, 0.679, and 0.484, respectively, all P < 0.001). Mental and physical health were negatively associated with frailty (β = -0.374, -0.202, respectively, both P < 0.001).

conclusionsThe relationship between social support and frailty appears to be mediated by mental and physical health, primarily through psychological pathways. Therefore, comprehensive interventions aimed at improving social support and mental and physical health are recommended to prevent frailty.

Indexed as

Frail ElderlyFrailtyHealth StatusMental HealthSocial SupportAgedAged, 80 and overChinaFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedFrailtyMental healthPhysical healthSocial supportStructural equation mode

Identifiers

PMID40442602
PMCPMC12121012

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.