Social Exclusion, Social Capital, and Life Satisfaction of Elderly with Disability: Focusing on Gender Differences

This study addresses social exclusion and life satisfaction of elderly with disability, a population that has not received much attention in academia. The objectives of this study were first to explore the social exclusion status of elderly with disabilities, second, to examine the relationships among social exclusion, social capital, and their life satisfaction, and third, to examine whether gender differences exist in social exclusion-social capital-life satisfaction relationships. The researchers used the 4th wave of Korean longitudinal study of ageing for secondary data analysis. Results showed that exclusion of health was associated with poor social capital and lower life satisfaction. Gender differences were observed in paths among social exclusion, social capital, and life satisfaction. The mediating effect of health factor was significant to both men and women sample. Based on these findings, implications for social work practice are discussed.