Social capital, health status, and sociodemographic factors associated with subjective well-being among older adults: a comparative study of community dwellings and nursing homes

作者：Yan Chen, Dahui Wang, Wenhao Chen, Enxi Zhao, Wanjing Li, Shanshan Zhu, Xianlan Wu · 发表于：BMC Public Health · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s12889-025-22036-4 · 被引用次数：15 · 研究领域：Health disparities and outcomes、Social Capital and Networks、Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine the differences in relationships among social capital components, health status, sociodemographic characteristics, and subjective well-being (SWB) among older adults in institutionalized versus non-institutionalized care environments. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted involving 1,037 older adults aged 65-95 years from nine communities and nine nursing homes across three regions of Zhejiang Province, China. Social capital and SWB were assessed using the Social Capital Scale and the Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale of Happiness (MUNSH), respectively. Propensity score matching (PSM, 1:1, caliper width 0.02) was applied to balance key sociodemographic characteristics and health status between community-dwelling and nursing home residents. Multivariable linear regression was utilized to analyze the relationships among social capital components, health status, sociodemographic factors, and SWB in both groups. RESULTS: PSM identified 290 older adults in community dwellings and a comparable group (n = 290) in nursing homes. Comparative analysis showed that nursing home residents demonstrated lower SWB. Multivariable linear regression revealed that social connection, trust, and cohesion were positively associated with SWB in both groups. However, social participation was only significantly linked with community dwellings residents. Both groups showed a positive relationship between SWB and self-rated health, but the number...