SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1668696
The Association between Social Capital and Quality of Life in old adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Statistical Science, School of Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- 2Universita degli Studi di Padova, Padua, Italy
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Background: Life satisfaction and quality of life are essential indicators of well-being in older adults. Social capital has been increasingly recognized as a key factor influencing these outcomes. This study systematically reviewed and synthesized existing evidence on the association between social capital and quality of life and life satisfaction among older adults through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed in MEDLINE (via PubMed), PsycINFO, and CINAHL (via EBSCO) from inception to January 15, 2025. Observational studies reporting quantitative associations between social capital and quality of life and life satisfaction in adults aged ≥ 60 years were included. Unadjusted effect sizes (r) were pooled using random-effects models for meta-analysis to account for variability across studies. Subgroup meta-analyses were conducted to examine differences based on publication period, geographic location, and quality of life measures. Between-study heterogeneity was tested using the I² index, and publication bias was investigated using funnel plots, Egger's test, and Begg's test. Results: We identified 13 studies that included 5880 older participants from 7 countries. Meta-analyses revealed life satisfaction (r = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.20–0.31) and quality of life (r = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.19– 0.49) all demonstrated significant associations with social capital. The overall pooled effect size (r = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.22–0.32) demonstrated a consistent positive relationship. Subgroup analyses showed that cognitive social capital (r = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.18–0.49) had a stronger association than structural social capital (r = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.19–0.29). Regional differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.182), although the effect sizes varied across continents: America (r = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.16–0.32), and Asia (r = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.23–0.37). Statistical heterogeneity was observed across analyses (I² = 68.9–95.5%). Publication bias was non-significant based on Egger's and Begg's tests. Conclusions: The findings of this meta-analysis suggest that social capital, particularly its cognitive dimension, plays a meaningful role in enhancing quality of life and life satisfaction outcomes, with variations across time and geographic regions.
Keywords: social capital, Quality of Life, older adults, Systematic review, Meta-analysis
Received: 18 Jul 2025; Accepted: 09 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 AKHTAR and Buja. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: SOHAIL AKHTAR, sohail.akhtar@unipd.it
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