Neighbour relationship, community cohesion, crime cognition, and quality of life of older Taiwanese

Abstract

Purpose. To measure the effects of community cohesion and crime cognition on overall quality of life (QOL) and its four domains (physical, psychological, social, and environmental) and to determine whether these effects are mediated by neighbour relationship among community-dwelling old adults. Methods. A cross-sectional survey of 176 community-dwelling older Taiwanese and path analyses were conducted. Neighbour relationship was assessed using a 5-item, 5-point Likert scale; community cohesion using an 8-item, 5-point Likert scale; crime cognition using a 20-item, 10-point Likert scale; and QOL using the 28-item WHOQOL-BREF (Taiwan version). All were self-report questionnaires; higher scores indicated higher levels. Results. Neighbour relationship as a mediator had a good fit in the four domains and overall QOL. The predictors (community cohesion and crime cognition) explained 23.3% of the variance in the physical domain, 30.7% in the psychological domain, 33.2% in the social domain, 38.5% in the environmental domain, and 39.3% in the overall QOL. Community cohesion had a greater effect on four domains of QOL than crime cognition. The effect of community cohesion on QOL was largely directly rather than indirectly (through mediation by neighbour relationship). Conclusion. Both community cohesion and crime cognition affect QOL of older adults. Neighbour relationship only mildly mediated community cohesion and crime cohesion.