American Journal of Emergency Medicine
Volume 27, Issue 5 , Pages 582-587, June 2009

Perceived social support among adults seeking care for acute respiratory tract infections in US EDs☆

  • Sara K. Levin, BA

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA
    • ,
  • Joshua P. Metlay, MD, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
    • ,
  • Judith H. Maselli, MSPH

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA
    • ,
  • Ayanna S. Kersey, MSPH

      Affiliations

    • Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
    • ,
  • Carlos A. Camargo Jr, MD, DrPH

      Affiliations

    • Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
    • ,
  • Ralph Gonzales, MD, MSPH

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +1 415 514 0569; fax: +1 415 514 0425.
    • ,
  • The IMPAACT Project Investigators

      Affiliations

    • The IMPAACT Project investigators are as follows (in alphabetical order): Sherrie Aspinall, PharmD (VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System); Brian A Catto, MD, MPH (Augusta VAMC); Cameron Crandall, MD (University of New Mexico); Pat Hlavin, MD (San Diego VAMC); Roberta Lenner, MD (Bronx VAMC); Michael C Leo, MD (Albuquerque VAMC); John Ma, MD (Oregon Health and Sciences University); Frank Maldonado, MD (North Chicago VAMC); James Moore, MD (San Antonio VAMC); Kevin O’Toole, MD (University of Pittsburgh); Mark Plautz, MD (Kansas City VAMC); Michael S Radeos, MD, MPH (New York Hospital Queens); Brian Snyder, MD (University of California, San Diego); Mark T Steele, MD (University of Missouri, Kansas City); James A Wilde, MD (Medical College of Georgia); and David Zich, MD (Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL).

Received 1 February 2008; received in revised form 5 April 2008; accepted 4 May 2008.

Abstract 

Emergency departments (EDs) provide a disproportionate amount of care to disenfranchised and vulnerable populations. We examined social support levels among a diverse population of adults seeking ED care for acute respiratory tract infections. A convenience sample of adults seeking care in 1 of 15 US EDs was telephone interviewed 1 to 6 weeks postvisit. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (7-point Likert) assessed social support across 3 domains: friends, family, and significant others. Higher scores indicate higher support. Of 1104 subjects enrolled, 704 (64%) completed the follow-up interview. Factor analysis yielded 3 factors. Mean social support score was 5.54 (SD 1.04). Female sex, greater household income, and better health status were independently associated with higher levels of social support. Social support levels among adults seeking care in the ED for acute respiratory tract infections are similar to general population cohorts, suggesting that social support is not a strong determinant of health care seeking in EDs.

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 Study results were presented previously at the 64th Annual Scientific Conference of the American Psychosomatic Society, Denver, CO, March 2006.

☆ This project was supported by the Translating Research Into Practice Initiative, jointly sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (grant 1 R01 HS013915) and the Health Services Research and Development Service of the Department of Veteran Affairs (AVA-03-239).

PII: S0735-6757(08)00378-1

doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2008.05.013

American Journal of Emergency Medicine
Volume 27, Issue 5 , Pages 582-587, June 2009

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