The role of perceived social support in subjective wellbeing among working-age U.S. adults with and without limitations in activities of daily living.

The survey was cross-sectional, so it cannot show whether low wellbeing caused less support, whether less support caused low wellbeing, or whether both were affected by another factor. The sample was drawn from people able to take an online survey, so it likely underrepresents adults with the most severe ADL limitations, and the observed wellbeing gaps may be smaller than they are in the full population. The authors dropped 213 respondents with missing wellbeing data and excluded 30 respondents reporting non-binary sex. The dropped respondents were more likely to have ADL limitations, lower income, less support, and other disadvantages, so the analysed sample may not represent the most disadvantaged adults. Happiness and meaning in life were dichotomized because of small cell sizes, especially among adults with a lot of limitations, and small sample sizes may have hidden some support interactions. The survey did not capture age of onset, cause, or duration of ADL limitations, so it cannot tell whether long-standing or recent limitations have different wellbeing patterns. It was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, so reported support and wellbeing may reflect pandemic disruptions rather than usual conditions.

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and no financial interests.

Do not conclude that adding emotional or instrumental support will improve wellbeing for patients with ADL limitations. This paper observed associations at one time point, did not test a support intervention, and emotional support did not eliminate all ADL limitation differences in meaning in life or life satisfaction.