Investigation of the Effective Factors in Social Capital and Its Relationship with Quality of Life in Elders of Ilam, Iran

Social capital is an important issue in various stages of human life and has an important role in individuals’ social, economic, and health status. The natural process of biological and social changes causes disorders in personal affairs, quality of life, and social roles of the elders. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the variables associated with social capital and its relationship with quality of life in the elders of Ilam, Iran.
In this cross-sectional study, 330 elders aging 60 years old and above from Ilam were selected through multi stage sampling. The demographic, social capital and life quality data were collected using standardized social capital and SF12 questionnaires.
The results revealed a relationship between individual trust and education level, occupation status, mental dimension of quality of life, physical dimension of quality of life, home ownership, and length of residence in the region. The results also showed an association between solidarity and social support and marital status, home ownership, mental dimension of quality of life, insurance coverage, length of residence in the region, and family size. Also, social trust and associative relations were significantly related to age, gender, occupation, marital status, family size, physical and mental dimensions of quality of life, length of residence in the region, and family size.
Since various factors are related to the elders’ social capital and considering the cumulative effect of the aforementioned components on social capital components, improving the modifiable factors, such as socioeconomic status, social support, and quality of life, can have a direct effect on social capital.