Depression mediates the relationship between social capital and health‐related quality of life among Chinese older adults in the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

AimTo explore the association between social capital and health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) and to determine whether depression mediates the association among Chinese older adults in the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic.DesignA descriptive cross‐sectional research design.MethodsThe Geriatric Depression Scale‐15, Social Capital Questionnaire and 12‐item Short‐Form Health Survey were used to investigate 1201 older adults selected from Jinan, Shandong Province, China, using a multistage stratified cluster random sampling method.ResultsPearson's correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between social capital and HRQoL (r = 0.269, p < 0.01). Multivariate linear regression analyses demonstrated that social capital was significantly negatively associated with depression (β = −0.072, p < 0.001) and that depression was associated with HRQoL (β = −1.031, p < 0.001). The mediation analyses showed that depression mediated the association between social capital and HRQoL, and the indirect effect size was 0.073 (95% confidence interval: 0.050, 0.100).

Social connection and end-of-life outcomes among older people in 19 countries: a population-based longitudinal study

“…In analyses where receipt of personal care or practical help from others was included as a predictor, we additionally included self-rated health status as a covariate. We did not include comorbidities and depression symptoms as covariates because depression and other health characteristics might not be confounders but might, at least partly, be mediators of the association between social connection and end-of-life outcomes, 27 , 28 , 29 and adjusting for mediators is not recommended as it can lead to erroneous results and conclusions. 30 The mixed-effects logistic regression models were estimated with one random intercept for country to account for the clustering of data within countries (mixed-model analyses handle missing data in the dependent variable through maximum likelihood estimation).…”

A Qualitative Analysis of Older Adults’ Cognitive Appraisal in Coping during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Social Capital

“…As a matter of fact, studies on natural disasters, such as the 3.11.11 tsunami in Japan, the Kobe Earthquake in 1995, and Hurricane Katrina, indicate that social capital is associated with higher rates of evacuations for the elderly [71][72][73]. While social capital is negatively associated with depression and loneliness [74][75][76], the role that each type of social capital plays in older adults' coping in the context of a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic remains largely unexplored.…”