Moderating Role of Attachment Orientation in the Association between the Level of Depressive Symptoms and Informal Support among Hospitalized Older Adults

Objectives: Close family members or friends support hospitalized older adults in many countries. This support might act as a protective factor against the adverse consequences of hospitalization. However, individual differences might interfere with the ability to gain from this kind of support, especially if the patient in question is suffering from a high level of depression. This study explores how attachment predispositions shape the relationship between depression and informal support in the hospital setting. Methods: A short version of the attachment orientation questionnaire and the level of depression questionnaire were completed by 387, age M(SD) = 75.4(7.1) hospitalized older adults at admission. The number of hours informal caregivers stayed in the hospital and support received were collected for up to three consecutive hospitalization days. Results: Both attachment anxiety (t = −2.47, p =.01) and avoidance (t = −2.17, p =.03) moderated the relationship between depression and hours of support. Post hoc analysis revealed that older adults with high levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance received fewer hours of support under conditions of high depression (t = −3.04, p =.003; t = −2.92, p =.004, respectively). There were no significant results for received support. Conclusions: The study results emphasize the relevance of attachment orientation to caregiving relations in health-related contexts and call for awareness of the effect that level of depression combined with attachment orientation can have during hospitalization. Clinical implications: Assessing attachment orientation and depression in hospitalized elders might be useful for identifying older adults at risk for insufficient informal support during hospitalization.