Analysis of the relationship between two-way social support and health based on a latent profile analysis among migrant older adults in China: a cross-sectional study.

Authors

Meijuan Cao, Shumin Wang, Yaling Zeng, Riyu Huang, Xiaojuan Xu, Yiyun Ma

Published in

Frontiers in public health. Volume 14. Pages 1885124. Epub Sep 09, 2026.

Abstract

Two-way social support, involving both receiving and providing support, is an important psychosocial factor influencing older adults'health. Migrant older adults may face increased health risks due to migration-related disruption of social networks, making social support particularly important. However, existing studies have mainly focused on received support, with limited attention to patterns of both support receipt and provision. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify latent classes of two-way social support and examine their associations with health among migrant older adults.
A cross-sectional study design was employed, and a total of 359 migrant older adults were recruited from several communities in Huzhou, China, using convenience sampling. All participants completed a general information questionnaire, the Brief 2-Way Social Support Scale, and a health survey questionnaire. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was performed to identify subgroups of two-way social support among migrant older adults, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to examine the associations between the identified latent classes and health outcomes.
Four latent classes of two-way social support were identified using LPA: the lack of two-way social support class (15.6%), the mild support-providing tendency class (25.6%), the support-providing dominant class (44.8%), and the balanced two-way social support class (14.0%). Differences in self-rated health across latent classes of two-way social support were statistically significant (χ ² = 72.487, p < 0.001): the balanced two-way social support group (C4) had the highest proportion of self-rated good health, the mild support-providing tendency group (C2) had the highest proportion of fair health, and the lack of two-way social support group (C1) had the highest proportion of poor health.
The findings indicate that two-way social support among migrant older adults can be classified into four distinct patterns. Those lacking two-way support face the greatest health risk, whereas those with balanced support show the best health status. Latent profile analysis may help identify high-risk groups and guide stratified interventions to promote equitable and sustainable healthy ageing.

PMID:
42780308
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 24 Sep 2026.

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