Social Well-Being and Quality of Life Among Older Adults in Latvia – Evidence from SHARE Data

Objectives: Population ageing is a major challenge of the 21st century and is associated with declining physical and mental abilities, increased disease burden, and higher mortality. Latvia has the lowest healthy life expectancy in the European Union (EU) (54.3 years for women and 51.2 years for men, compared to the EU average of 63.3 and 62.8 years, respectively). Social well-being is a component of healthy and active ageing and may be associated with older adults’ quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to assess the relationship between social well-being and QoL among older adults in Latvia.
Materials and Methods: Data from wave 9 of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) (2022) were analysed using linear regression. QoL was measured using the Control, Autonomy, Self-realization, and Pleasure scale (CASP-12) (range 12–48, higher scores indicate better QoL). Social well-being factors included education, employment status, financial capacity, place of residence, social network (SN) characteristics, received help, based on self-reported questionnaires. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: The study included 1,643 individuals aged 50+ from Latvia, 61.4% of whom were women. The median QoL score was 34. Higher educational level (β = 0.20), employment (β = 0.23), better financial capacity (β = 0.19), larger SN (β = 0.19), greater satisfaction with SN (β = 0.22), and participation in social activities (β = 0.13) were positively associated with QoL. Receiving help in the past year was negatively associated with QoL (β = -0.09) (all p < 0.001).
Conclusions: Higher educational level, employment, better financial capacity, larger and more satisfying SN, and participation in social activities were associated with better QoL. These findings highlight the importance of social and economic resources in shaping older adults’ QoL and support the development of targeted support strategies for this population.