Mediation role of social cohesion and moderating effects of family relationship and social support in the association between neighborhood deprivation and subjective wellbeing among the elderly in India

Angana Debnath, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai
Arup Jana, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

Objectives This study investigated the impact of family relationships and social supports on social cohesion and subjective wellbeing (SWB) among the elderly in India. Methods Data was collected from the LASI wave-1 (2017-18) with a sample size of 31,464. Bivariate analysis was conducted to examine the significant association between independent variables (X), mediator (M), moderator (W), possible confounders, and the dependent variable SWB (Y). Results The results showed that all socioeconomic and demographic variables were significantly associated with SWB. Male respondents in urban areas with the highest level of education and belonging to the rich wealth category reported higher mean SWB scores. Social support centers were positively associated with SWB (ß=0.19; SE:0.05; p<0.001) and helped to mitigate the negative effects of neighborhood deprivation on SWB (ß=-0.06; SE:0.01; p<0.001). Conclusion A significant mediation of social cohesion exists in the association between neighborhood deprivation and SWB for elderly people in India.

Keywords: Population Ageing

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