SOCIAL SUPPORT AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES FOLLOWING SEVERE PHYSICAL-DISABILITY - TESTING THE MEDIATING EFFECTS OF DEPRESSION

We tested for mediating effects of depression on the association between social support and leisure activities among men with severe physical disabilities. Measures of social support, depression, and leisure activities were administered to men receiving services at a spinal-cord-injury unit in a Veteran's Administration Medical Center. Path analysis revealed depression and attachment support to be directly predictive of leisure activities; however, support that reassured the worth of the individual was related to leisure activities only when depression was taken into account. Separate analyses revealed that the hypothesized moderating effects of time since injury were nonsignificant. Results are discussed in light of contemporary notions of social support, depression, and leisure activities among persons with chronic medical conditions.