Purpose

  This study aims to examine the factors influencing the cognitive social capital of elderly female residents in a local community.

Method

  An anonymous self-administered survey was conducted with active women aged 60 or older participating in a health club held in a health center in Town B, Prefecture A. The survey items included basic attributes, life habits, sleep satisfaction levels, and health-related quality of life (QOL) (eight items for the SF-8 sub-scale), with a spirituality health scale for older adults (six items for the sub-scale) as an independent variable. The dependent variables were the total score of the five items of cognitive social capital proposed by Fujita et al. The study was conducted using a multiple regression analysis based on the stepwise method.

Results

  Questionnaire sheets were distributed to 152 subjects. Answers were obtained from 129 subjects (collection rate: 84.9%), and 105 of them were used for the analysis (effective answer rate: 69.1%) as they had no missing values. The average age of the subjects was 73.1 years. The frequency of laughing, sleep satisfaction levels, emotional support of the spirituality sub-scale, and the mental health score of the SF-8 lower scale was positively related with social capital scores. Meanwhile, the subjective sense of well-being and daily life role functions (mental) were negatively related with social capital scores.

Conclusion

  The results showed that the subjects strongly felt that sleep satisfaction levels, opportunities to laugh in daily life, and “emotional support” offering mental and spiritual sustenance to overcome difficulties were positive factors related to the social capital of elderly women. Finally, the subjective sense of well-being and “daily role: mental” of SF-8 were extracted as factors negatively related with their social capital.