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Perceived Social Capital in Self-Defined Urban Neighborhoods as a Resource for Healthy Aging

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Social Capital as a Health Resource in Later Life: The Relevance of Context

Part of the book series: International Perspectives on Aging ((Int. Perspect. Aging,volume 11))

Abstract

Environmental gerontology has adopted a social cohesion perspective on social capital, defining social capital as a neighborhood-level characteristic rather than a property of the individual. This chapter will discuss the macro-micro relationship between social capital and healthy aging by focusing on the relevance of the perceived socio-physical environment in terms of cognitive experiential processes (e.g., urban-related identity) and behavioral processes of engagement in the community (e.g., social participation). We study individuals’ subjective definitions of neighborhood boundaries in geographical space in our attempt to assure a valid mapping of person–environment references. Based on both a phenomenological approach and a comprehensive survey with 595 community-dwelling urban citizens (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) stratified by age (70–79 vs. 80–89 years) and household composition (living alone vs. with partner), a variety of constituents of perceived neighborhood in old age are identified that clearly challenge common notions of what defines a neighborhood as well as point to potential mechanisms of neighboring that have been neglected in most current studies of social capital. On a descriptive level, disparities with respect to aspects of healthy aging, urban-related identity and social participation are investigated across 37 shared perceived neighborhoods using a multi-level approach. Finally, we test the hypothesis that neighborhood-level social capital moderates the effects of place identity and social participation on healthy aging. The consequences of perceived social capital in the neighborhood for agency, belonging, aging in place and, ultimately, for healthy aging in urban neighborhoods are revisited.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Interdisciplinary Ageing Research, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Roman Kaspar & Frank Oswald

  2. German Institute for International Educational Research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Roman Kaspar

  3. Department of Human Geography, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Jakob Hebsaker

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  1. Roman Kaspar
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  2. Frank Oswald
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  3. Jakob Hebsaker
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Correspondence to Roman Kaspar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Study Programme in Social Sciences, Social Policy, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland

    Fredrica Nyqvist

  2. Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Study Programme in Social Sciences, Developmental Psychology, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland

    Anna K. Forsman

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Kaspar, R., Oswald, F., Hebsaker, J. (2015). Perceived Social Capital in Self-Defined Urban Neighborhoods as a Resource for Healthy Aging. In: Nyqvist, F., Forsman, A. (eds) Social Capital as a Health Resource in Later Life: The Relevance of Context. International Perspectives on Aging, vol 11. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9615-6_7

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