ObjectiveTo systematically review the correlation between sleep quality and social support of the elderly.MethodsDatabases including PubMed, MEDLINE, The Cochrane Library, Springerlink, ProQuest, CMB, CNKI, VIP, and WanFang Data were searched to collect studies on the correlation between sleep quality and social support of the elderly from January 1996 to January 2020. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and evaluated risk of bias of included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed using RevMan 5.3 software.ResultsA total of 9 studies involving 2 427 elderly people were included. The meta-analysis showed that the combined correlation coefficient between sleep quality and social support was -0.40 (95%CI −0.54 to −0.26). The correlation between sleep quality and social support of the elderly varied with the year of publication and sample size, however without regular change. The correlation coefficient of the elderly from institutions (hospital or pension institutions) was higher than that of the community (−0.33 vs. −0.26); the correlation coefficient of the elderly with health problems was higher than those without health problems (−0.32 vs. −0.25); the results measured by non-random sampling method were higher than those measured by random sampling (−0.37 vs. −0.23); and the results measured by Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and social support rating scale (SSRS) were higher than those measured by PSQI and perceived social support scale (PSSS) (−0.30 vs. −0.13).ConclusionsThe higher the level of social support of the elderly in China, the lower the score of PSQI, and the better the sleep quality, in which there are differences in different sample sources and physical conditions.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the status of alexithymia in the Chinese elderly.MethodsCNKI, VIP, CBM, WanFang Data, PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and The Cochrane Library databases were electronically searched to collect cross-sectional studies related to the epidemiological characteristics of alexithymia among the elderly in China from inception to February 2021. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies; meta-analysis was then performed using Stata 16.0 software.ResultsA total of 11 cross-sectional studies involving 3 592 elderly individuals were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that the prevalence of alexithymia in the Chinese elderly was 36% (95%CI 30% to 42%), and the score of alexithymia was 58.59 (95%CI 54.60 to 62.57). Subgroup analyses indicated that the prevalence of alexithymia was 39% (95%CI 32% to 45%) in northern China, 33% (95%CI 30% to 37%) in northeast China, 36% (95%CI 31% to 41%) in eastern China, 51% (95%CI 44% to 58%) in central China, and 20% (95%CI 16% to 24%) in the southwest China. The prevalence rates of hospitalized, nursing home, and community elderly were 42% (95%CI 34% to 49%), 37% (95%CI 28% to 45%), and 29% (95%CI 20% to 38%), respectively. The scores of alexithymia were higher among the elderly males, 80 years or older, engaged in heavy physical work prior to retirement, suffering from severer chronic diseases, low education background, low monthly income, living alone, and low frequency of participation in group activities and visited by relatives.ConclusionsCurrent evidence shows that the overall prevalence of alexithymia is high in the Chinese elderly, and varies with regions. The levels of alexithymia among gender, age, occupation prior to retirement, number of chronic diseases, educational level, monthly income, habitation manner, the frequency of participating in group activities, and being visited by relatives and friends are different.