Social support and psychological well-being of nursing home residents in Hong Kong.

Background: This study sought to investigate the extent to which structural and functional social support promotes psychological well-being among nursing home residents in a Chinese society.

Methods: 71 nursing home residents (57 women, 14 men) provided ratings on contact frequency and emotional and instrumental support exchanges with network members. Psychological well-being was measured using depression, loneliness, positive affect, and life satisfaction.