Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, Vol 50, Issue 1 P1-P8, Copyright © 1995 by The Gerontological Society of America
The structure of social engagement among nursing home residents
V Mor, K Branco, J Fleishman, C Hawes, C Phillips, J Morris and B Fries
Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research, Brown University.
This research tests the reliability and construct validity of social
engagement, a new quality of life measure embedded in the federally
mandated Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) for the nursing home
population. The sample consisted of 1,848 residents from 268 homes in 10
states with data collected by trained research nurses. Three resident
groups were formed based on residents' cognitive and ADL functioning.
Social engagement was significantly related to average time spent in
activities across all three groups. We hypothesized a four-factor model
with social engagement distinct from mood problems, conflicted
relationships, and behavior problems. LISREL confirmatory factor analysis
found the data to be consistent with this hypothesis (Fit Index >.98).
Intercorrelations between factors showed that for high-functioning
residents, engagement was negatively related to conflict but was positively
related to conflict among the most impaired. The validity of the social
engagement measure and its stability across types of residents suggest its
potential utility as a marker of hursing home quality.
