Social capital, social participation and life satisfaction among Chilean older adults

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To examine factors associated with social participation and their relationship with self-perceived well-being in older adults.METHODS This study was based on data obtained from the National Socioeconomic Characterization (CASEN) Survey conducted in Chile, in 2011, on a probability sample of households. We examined information of 31,428 older adults living in these households. Descriptive and explanatory analyses were performed using linear and multivariate logistic regression models. We assessed the respondents’ participation in different types of associations: egotropic, sociotropic, and religious.RESULTS Social participation increased with advancing age and then declined after the age of 80. The main finding of this study was that family social capital is a major determinant of social participation of older adults. Their involvement was associated with high levels of self-perceived subjective well-being. We identified four settings as sources of social participation: home-based; rural community-based; social policy programs; and religious. Older adults were significantly more likely to participate when other members of the household were also involved in social activities evidencing an intergenerational transmission of social participation. Rural communities, especially territorial associations, were the most favorable setting for participation. There has been a steady increase in the rates of involvement of older adults in social groups in Chile, especially after retirement. Religiosity remains a major determinant of associativism. The proportion of participation was higher among older women than men but these proportions equaled after the age of 80.CONCLUSIONS Self-perceived subjective well-being is not only dependent upon objective factors such as health and income, but is also dependent upon active participation in social life, measured as participation in associations, though its effects are moderate.

Factors related to low social participation in older adults: findings from the Fibra study, Brazil

“…Positive effects of social support for the elderly's well-being have been mentioned by several investigators 4,16 . Elderly are more able to engage in social activities when the perceived social support is satisfactory.…”

“…Social participation has been found to increase with advancing age and then to decline among people aged over 80 4 . After retirement, younger older adults enjoy better health conditions and have more time to spend in social life.…”

“…Furthermore, social support facilitates social participation especially among disabled and vulnerable seniors 24 . Support from family and friends, for instance, through provision of transport to participate in activities or by helping the person to perform an activity, plays a key role in creating conditions for more extensive social participation, thereby contributing to better health and well-being 4 .…”

“…Reasons for the emphasis on social participation in old age are mostly related to evidence that being socially active is associated with well-being, quality of life and lower risk of morbidity and mortality 3,4 . Findings have shown relationships between higher level of social participation and lower risk of morbidity 5 , disability 6,7 , depressive symptoms 8 , and cognitive impairment 9 .…”

The Other Women in Dialogic Literary Gatherings

“…This decline in social participation typically differs according to the educational and occupational resources available to individuals. For people with a higher level of training or education, social and political participation is normally prolonged compared to people with a lower educational level (Bukov, Mass, & Lampert, 2002;Ponce, Rosas, & Lorca, 2014).…”