The Effect of Material and Social Deprivation on Well-Being of Elderly in Europe

Abstract

In this work, attention is paid to 2 explanatory factors of successful aging. The first is material deprivation. There is growing evidence that poverty is associated with the onset of physical and mental disorders and, broadly, with aspects such as life satisfaction and happiness. The second factor is social deprivation. Social exclusion affects health due to lack of emotional and concrete support; moreover, participation in social activities among older people is associated with greater longevity and a lower risk of disability. The study describes the effect of material and social deprivation on depression (measured through the EURO-D scale) and quality of life (through CASP-12 scale), for individuals aged 50 and older in 14 European countries. Data is derived from Wave 5 of the SHARE project. To estimate the effect of material and social deprivation on outcomes and to determine whether it is moderated by the country in which people live, we apply 2 multi-group path models, respectively, for people aged 65 or younger and for those aged 66 years or older. Findings indicate that higher material and social deprivation is associated with greater levels of stress and worse quality of life. The effect of social deprivation would be stronger than that of material deprivation, and this result seems to be valid in all countries considered, although their intensity varies significantly between them.

Material deprivation is associated with neural resilience for late-life depression

“…Additionally, we observed a positive association between neural vulnerability to LLD and social isolation, which was absent in participants showing neuroanatomically resilient patterns. These findings are consistent with the observations that older adults with sufficient resources to age successfully are relatively healthy, active, independent and maintain high levels of mental well-being (Terraneo, 2021), and that increases in socioeconomic status decreases the odds for depression (Freeman et al, 2016;Zhou et al, 2021). Furthermore, our results also resonate with previous findings that social isolation and/or loneliness in older adults is associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality (Holt-Lunstad et al, 2015), as well as clinically significant depression and anxiety (Schwarzbach et al, 2014;Taylor et al, 2018;Domènech-Abella et al, 2019;Donovan and Blazer, 2020).…”

Factors associated with poor oral health‐related quality of life among non‐institutionalized Brazilian older adults

“…37,38 Social connections and emotional support may influence the social dimensions of individuals' quality of life and improve attention toward personal care. 39 A longitudinal study with older adults from England found significantly greater chances of loneliness among individuals who reported at least one oral impact on the quality of life compared to their counterparts. 40 Increasing life expectancy has resulted in populations with special oral care needs, putting additional pressure on health care systems and health funding.…”

Women carry the weight of deprivation on physical inactivity: Moderated mediation analyses in a European sample of adults over 50 Years of age

“…These indicators of perceived deprivation have been used to predict health-related outcomes, including perceived health status, difficulties in mobility, risks of mortality and well-being ( Myck et al, 2020 ; Terraneo, 2021 ).…”