The mediation role of social network size and perception in the association between physical activity and depressive symptoms: a prospective analysis from the SHARE study

Abstract

Objectives

To investigate the mediating role of social network size and perceived quality in the associations of physical activity with quality of life and depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older adults.

Method

We analyzed information of 10,569 middle-aged and older adults from waves 2 (2006–2007), 4 (2011–2012), and 6 (2015) of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe study (SHARE). Data on physical activity (moderate and vigorous intensities), social network (size and quality), depressive symptoms (EURO-D scale), and quality of life (CASP) were self-reported. Sex, age, country of residency, schooling, occupational status, mobility, and baseline values of the outcome were used as covariates. We created mediation models to test the mediating effect of social network size and quality in the association between physical activity and depressive symptoms.

Results

Social network size partly mediated the association between vigorous physical activity and depressive symptoms (7.1%; 95%CI: 1.7–12.6) as well as the association between moderate (9.9%; 1.6–19.7) and vigorous (8.1%; 0.7–15.4) physical activity and quality of life. Social network quality did not mediate any of the associations tested.

Conclusion

We conclude that social network’s size, but not satisfaction, mediates part of the association of physical activity with depressive symptoms and quality of life in middle-aged and older adults. Future physical activity interventions among middle-aged and older adults should consider increasing social interactions to facilitate benefits for mental health-related outcomes.

Keywords:

• Exercise
• social isolation
• social support
• mood

Acknowledgements

This paper uses data from SHARE Waves 2, 4, and 6 (DOIs: 10.6103/SHARE.w2.710, 10.6103/SHARE.w4.710, 10.6103/SHARE.w6.710), see Börsch-Supan et al. (2013) for methodological details.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Ethics approval

All procedures performed in the original studies involving human participants were approved by the local ethics committee in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Data availability statement

Share data are available upon request. More information can be found on the website: http://www.share-project.org/home0.html.

Additional information

Funding

The SHARE data collection has been funded by the European Commission, DG RTD through FP5 (QLK6-CT-2001-00360), FP6 (SHARE-I3: RII-CT-2006-062193, COMPARE: CIT5-CT-2005-028857, SHARELIFE: CIT4-CT-2006-028812), FP7 (SHARE-PREP: GA N°211909, SHARE-LEAP: GA N°227822, SHARE M4: GA N°261982, DASISH: GA N°283646) and Horizon 2020 (SHARE-DEV3: GA N°676536, SHARE-COHESION: GA N°870628, SERISS: GA N°654221, SSHOC: GA N°823782) and by DG Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion through VS 2015/0195, VS 2016/0135, VS 2018/0285, VS 2019/0332, and VS 2020/0313. Additional funding from the German Ministry of Education and Research, the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, the U.S. National Institute on Aging (U01_AG09740-13S2, P01_AG005842, P01_AG08291, P30_AG12815, R21_AG025169, Y1-AG-4553-01, IAG_BSR06-11, OGHA_04-064, HHSN271201300071C, RAG052527A) and from various national funding sources are gratefully acknowledged (see www.share-project.org).