The effects of bereavement of friends on depression in adulthood: Age and family support as moderators

Abstract

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the moderating effects of age and social support from family members in the relationship between the bereavement of friends and depression. The participants were 1 402 Japanese community-dwelling men and women aged between 40 and 79 years, who had done the baseline and the two-year follow-up surveys of the National Institute for Longevity Sciences-Longitudinal Study of Aging (NILS-LSA). By using hierarchical multiple regression analysis, we detected a significant interaction between age, social support from family members, and the bereavement of friends. Younger participants who were receiving less support from family members after the loss of friends showed significantly higher depression scores.