Usefulness of Social Support in Older Adults After Hospitalization for Acute Myocardial Infarction (from the SILVER-AMI Study)

The availability of social support is associated with health outcomes after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), yet previous studies have largely considered social support as a single entity, rather than examining its discrete domains. Furthermore, few studies have investigated the impact of social support in older AMI patients, in whom it may be especially important. We aimed to determine the associations between 5 discrete domains of social support - emotional support, informational support, tangible support, positive social interaction, and affectionate support - with 6-month readmission and mortality in older patients hospitalized for AMI, adjusting for known predictors of post-AMI outcomes. Three thousand six participants 75 years and older were recruited from a network of 94 hospitals across the United States. A 5-item version of the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey was used to measure perceived social support, and readmission and mortality were ascertained 6 months after initial hospitalization. Independent associations were determined using multivariable regression. Among 3,006 participants, mean age was 82 years, 44% were female, and 11% non-white. Participants who were female, non-white, less educated, and lived alone tended to report lower social support. In multivariable analyses, low informational support was associated with readmission (odds ratio 1.22; 95% confidence interval 1.01 to 1.47), and low emotional support with mortality (odds ratio 1.43; 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 1.97). In conclusion, individual domains of social support had distinct, independent associations with post-AMI outcomes, lending a more nuanced and precise understanding of this important social determinant of health. Understanding these distinct associations can inform the development of interventions and policies to improve post-AMI outcomes.