Enhancing Older Females' Psychological Well‐Being Through Social Shopping, Social Coping, and Informal Social Activities

Abstract

This study sought to determine the role of social engagement in the psychological well‐being of females who were 55 years and older (hereafter older females). The authors developed and tested a comprehensive model that depicted the effects of social engagement activities along with financial and physical well‐being on a variety of indicators of psychological well‐being. A total of 213 responses were collected and analyzed based on structural equation modeling. The results indicated that various social engagement activities were significant predictors of older females' psychological well‐being. Informal social activities were found to be a predictor of all indicators of psychological well‐being, while social coping was only associated with life satisfaction. The results showed that social shopping was a significant predictor of social connectedness, depression, and self‐esteem. Financial well‐being was not significantly related to social connectedness, but it was related to other indicators of older females' psychological well‐being. Physical well‐being was not significantly related to any of the indicators. This model contributes to building activity and coping theories as well as providing implications for practitioners and service providers who are involved with older females.