{"id":11124,"date":"2026-04-09T17:58:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T09:58:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/?p=11124"},"modified":"2026-04-09T17:58:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T09:58:49","slug":"social-support-sleep-pain-management-linked-to-mental-health-in-later-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/social-support-sleep-pain-management-linked-to-mental-health-in-later-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Social support, sleep, pain management linked to mental health in later life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Older people who are socially connected, physically healthy, and spiritually engaged are significantly more likely to experience complete mental health.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is according to a new study, “Flourishing older Canadians: What characteristics are associated with complete mental health?”<\/a>, that was published in PLOS One<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using data from 2,024 respondents in Statistics Canada\u2019s 2022 Mental Health and Access to Care Survey (MHACS), researchers examined factors associated with both the absence of psychiatric disorder (APD) and complete mental health (CMH), a broader measure that combines freedom from mental illness with high emotional, psychological, and social well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cOur findings shift the conversation away from mental illness alone and toward understanding what helps older adults truly flourish,\u201d said first author\u00a0Daniyal Rahim,\u00a0PhD Candidate,\u00a0Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. \u201cComplete mental health reflects not just the absence of disorders, but the presence of meaning, satisfaction, and strong social connections.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The study found that older adults were more likely to experience APD and CMH if they were married or in a common-law relationship, had strong social support, rated their physical health as fair or better, and reported no chronic pain, sleep problems, or limitations in daily activities. Social support emerged as one of the strongest predictors, more than doubling the odds of achieving complete mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSocial relationships appear to be a cornerstone of mental well-being in later life,\u201d said coauthor\u00a0Shannon Halls,\u00a0Research Coordinator, Institute for Life Course & Aging, University of Toronto. \u201cHaving people to rely on during stressful times may buffer against psychological distress and promote resilience, happiness, and a sense of purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spirituality was also strongly associated with mental well-being. Older adults who reported that religion or spirituality was important in their daily lives had significantly higher odds of both APD and CMH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSpiritual beliefs may help older adults cope with adversity by providing meaning, hope, and a sense of community,\u201d said co-author\u00a0Ying Jiang,\u00a0a senior epidemiologist\u00a0in the Applied Research Division, Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research, Public Health Agency of Canada. \u201cThese factors can be particularly relevant during periods of declining health or life transitions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Physical health factors played a critical role. Freedom from chronic pain, sleep problems, and limitations in instrumental activities of daily living was consistently associated with better mental health outcomes. Conversely, living in a large urban center was linked to lower odds of complete mental health compared to rural living.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese findings underscore that mental health in aging is shaped by a complex interplay of social, physical, and environmental factors,\u201d said senior author\u00a0Esme Fuller-Thomson,\u00a0Director, Institute for Life Course & Aging, University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. \u201cPublic health strategies that strengthen social support, address pain and sleep problems, and promote meaningful engagement could substantially improve well-being among older adults.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors emphasize that many of the identified factors are modifiable, suggesting opportunities for targeted interventions, including social programming, pain management, sleep treatment, and community-based supports to help more older Canadians achieve complete mental health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Older people who are socially connected, physically healthy, and spiritually engaged are significantly more likely to experience complete mental health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7362,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1346,19,848,1140,2348,1882,20],"class_list":["post-11124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsmakers","tag-dementia","tag-health","tag-mental-health","tag-senior-care","tag-senior-health","tag-seniors","tag-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11124"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11125,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11124\/revisions\/11125"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}