What this means
In this study, older adults who felt more shame about aging had more depressive symptoms. That link was weaker for those who felt more social support. The study looked at one point in time, so it cannot show cause and effect.
Plain-English summary written by an AI model from the abstract. The original is below.
- Who it was tested in
- 162 community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older
- Kind of research
- A study
The science
- Original title
- Age-Related Internalized Stigma and Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults: The Moderating Role of Perceived Social Support.
- Authors
- Karasoy G, Baydur H
- Journal
- Psychogeriatrics : the official journal of the Japanese Psychogeriatric Society
- Published
- Oct 14, 2026
- Study type
- Study · in humans
- PMID
- 42870687 ↗
Abstract
Background
Age-related internalized stigma may be associated with depressive symptoms in later life, whereas perceived social support may represent an important psychosocial resource. This study examined the associations of age-related internalized stigma and perceived social support with depressive symptoms and tested whether perceived social support moderated the association between age-related internalized stigma and depressive symptoms.
What they did
This cross-sectional study included 162 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and older. Age-related internalized stigma, perceived social support and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Elderly Internalized Stigma Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale, respectively. Multivariable linear regression and moderation analyses were performed.
What they found
Higher age-related internalized stigma was associated with higher depressive symptom scores (β = 0.205, 95% CI: [0.099, 0.311]), whereas higher perceived social support was associated with lower depressive symptom scores (β = -0.506, 95% CI: [-0.636, -0.375]). The interaction between age-related internalized stigma and perceived social support was significant (B = -0.002, 95% CI: [-0.003, -0.001], p < 0.001). Age-related internalized stigma was associated with depressive symptoms at low and median levels of perceived social support but not at high levels. Age-related internalized stigma, perceived social support and depressive symptoms were strongly interrelated in this sample. The moderation pattern was consistent with an attenuation of the association between age-related internalized stigma and depressive symptoms at higher levels of perceived social support; however, the cross-sectional design and substantial overlap among the study constructs warrant cautious interpretation.
The authors' abstract, grouped under plain headings from its own section labels.
Karasoy G, Baydur H Age-Related Internalized Stigma and Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults: The Moderating Role of Perceived Social Support. Psychogeriatrics : the official journal of the Japanese Psychogeriatric Society. 2026. doi:10.1111/psyg.70224. PMID: 42870687. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42870687/