Community- and individual-level social capital and cognitive function among older adults in China: a multilevel analysis.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to examine (a) the association of cognitive function with community- and with individual-level cognitive and structural social capital, and (b) the cross-level interaction effects of social capital on cognitive function among older adults in China.

Method: Quota sampling was used to collect data from 800 respondents living in 20 communities in Tianjin and Shijiazhuang, China, in 2020. Multilevel analysis was conducted to examine the hypotheses.

Results: Individual-level structural social capital was significantly associated with better cognitive function. Furthermore, individual-level cognitive social capital was negatively associated with cognitive function among older adults with low community-level structural social capital, whereas the above association was positive among those with high community-level structural social capital. Following the same pattern, the associations between community-level structural social capital and cognitive function varied by individual-level cognitive social capital.

Conclusion: This research highlights the protective role of individual-level structural social capital in Chinese older adults' cognitive function. It also delivers in-depth insights into the varying associations between social capital and cognitive function across different communities or individuals. Future research and practices should focus on cultivating social capital at both levels, and pay attention to the cross-level interactions of social capital.