The Relationship between Social Capital and Health in Old Age: The Mediating Effect of Depression in the Effect of Social Capital on Frailty

Abstract

This study aims to focus on social capital as a primary preventive intervention in the community for healthy old age, and to understand the influence and path of social capital in old age on physical health. This study used data from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study(KFACS) surveyed from 2018 to 2019, and analyzed the elderly aged 65 years or older who responded to all variables. And the mediating effect of depression in the effect of social capital on frailty was analyzed using SPSS MACRO PRCESS v3.5. As a result of the analysis, social capital had a significant effect on frailty in the first stage, and social capital in the second stage had a significant effect on depression. In the last three stages, depression showed a full mediating effect on the effect of social capital on frailty, and showed a significant result as a mediating variable. Based on the results of this study, the meaning of social capital as a primary community intervention for healthy old age and successful aging was examined, and based on this, discussions and suggestions related to the creation of an environment to increase social capital in the community were presented.