Long-term risk factors for old-age social exclusion in Sweden : a 30-year longitudinal study

• Purpose of the research: Social exclusion threatens quality of life in older age. However, there is a lack of research on social exclusion from life-course and gender perspectives. We investigated early-and midlife risk factors for old-age social exclusion among women and men.Materials and methods: Two individually linked studies of Swedish nationally representative samples provided longitudinal data over a 30-year period on 1,819 people at baseline. Indicators of economic exclusion, leisure/ social exclusion, and civic exclusion were assessed at early late life (M=70 years) and late life (M=81). Educational attainment, non-employment, psychological health problems and mobility problems were measured as risk factors at midlife (M=54) and late midlife (M=61). Path analysis derived a model of old-age social exclusion.Results: Exclusion on a domain in early late life led to exclusion on the same domain in late life, except for the economic domain. Leisure/social exclusion in early late life also led to civic exclusion in late life. Midlife risk factors influenced late-life exclusion almost exclusively through early late-life exclusion. While model fit could not be significantly improved by allowing coefficients to vary freely by gender, there was a stronger effect of non -employment on exclusion in women and a stronger effect of psychological health problems on exclusion in men.Conclusions: This study confirms that old-age exclusion is persistent and dynamic, and influenced by risk factors experienced earlier in life. A holistic approach with integrated efforts across different policy areas is needed to efficiently reduce old-age social exclusion.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Annan medicin och hälsovetenskap -- Gerontologi, medicinsk/hälsovetenskaplig inriktning (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Other Medical and Health Sciences -- Gerontology, specialising in Medical and Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Geriatrik (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Geriatrics (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Sociologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Sociology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

life course

midlife

late life

social exclusion

Sweden

path analysis

psykologi

Psychology

Att leva i samhällets utkant: Social exkludering bland äldre kvinnor och män i Sverige

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)