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Building Social Capital May Protect against Loss of Well-Being among Older People

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Book cover Social Capital as a Health Resource in Later Life: The Relevance of Context

Part of the book series: International Perspectives on Aging ((Int. Perspect. Aging,volume 11))

Abstract

We examined individual social capital and its relationship with well-being among community-dwelling older people in the Netherlands. This cross-sectional study included 945/1440 (66 % response rate) independently living older (≥ 70 years) adults in Rotterdam. We investigated individuals’ social capital by asking about structural (e.g., group membership) and cognitive (e.g., trust, social harmony, sense of belonging, sense of fairness) characteristics. The formation of social capital may cushion the negative effect of loss and allow for substitution when network ties become unavailable. Buffer and substitution effects may be detected that protect well-being. Looking at bivariate relationships with social capital results indicated that being born in the Netherlands, higher education, older age, and higher income were positively associated with individuals’ social capital. Multilevel regression analyses showed that older age, higher education, and higher income positively predicted social capital. Social capital in turn predicted the well-being of older adults, suggesting a direct contribution to well-being; we also found indications for buffer effects. The results of this study support the importance of social capital for the well-being of community-dwelling older people. Building social capital over one’s lifetime is likely to protect against loss of well-being if network ties become unavailable (e.g., after retirement, loss of loved ones), and may be especially important for individuals with lower educational and income levels and for older immigrants not born in the Netherlands. Neighbourhoods that foster the formation of social capital may enable people to build buffers against the negative effects of age-related loss.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Jane Murray Cramm & Anna Petra Nieboer

Authors
  1. Jane Murray Cramm
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  2. Anna Petra Nieboer
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Correspondence to Jane Murray Cramm .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Study Programme in Social Sciences, Social Policy, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland

    Fredrica Nyqvist

  2. Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Study Programme in Social Sciences, Developmental Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland

    Anna K. Forsman

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Cramm, J., Nieboer, A. (2015). Building Social Capital May Protect against Loss of Well-Being among Older People. In: Nyqvist, F., Forsman, A. (eds) Social Capital as a Health Resource in Later Life: The Relevance of Context. International Perspectives on Aging, vol 11. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9615-6_9

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