Social capital and subjective well-being among older adults: The mediating role of loneliness and the moderating role of optimism.

Social capital was positively associated with subjective well-being among older adults in China.

• Study conducted among older adults aged 60 and above in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
• 581 valid questionnaire responses were analyzed using SPSS.
• Both bonding and bridging dimensions of social capital were examined in relation to subjective well-being.
• Analysis was guided by Conservation of Resources (COR) theory within a moderated mediation framework.

Loneliness mediated the relationship between social capital and subjective well-being.

• Loneliness accounted for 45.1% of the association between bonding social capital and subjective well-being.
• Loneliness accounted for 50.5% of the association between bridging social capital and subjective well-being.
• Higher social capital was associated with reduced loneliness, which in turn was associated with higher subjective well-being.
• The mediation findings were identified within a moderated mediation analytic framework.

Optimism negatively moderated the association between social capital and loneliness.

• Higher levels of optimism diminished the protective association of social capital on loneliness reduction.
• The moderation effect indicated that the inverse relationship between social capital and loneliness was weaker among individuals with higher optimism.
• Optimism functioned as a moderator within the broader moderated mediation model.
• The authors interpreted this as meaning that highly optimistic individuals may rely less on social capital as a resource for reducing loneliness.

The study employed a moderated mediation framework grounded in Conservation of Resources (COR) theory to examine pathways to subjective well-being in aging.

• Well-validated scales were used to measure social capital (bonding and bridging), loneliness, optimism, and subjective well-being.
• Participants were community-dwelling older adults aged 60 and above.
• The sample consisted of 581 valid responses from Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
• COR theory provided the theoretical basis for proposing that social capital functions as an external resource affecting well-being through loneliness.