Older Chinese adults’ social participation and happiness: the mediating effect of spirituality

Abstract

ABSTRACT This quantitative study explored the relationship between social participation and happiness among older adults in a Chinese context by introducing the mediator of spirituality. The Howden Spirituality Assessment Scale (SAS), the Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale of Happiness (MUNSH), and the Frequency of Social Participation Scale, which was developed specifically for this study, were used to measure older participants’ spirituality, happiness, and social participation. Data were collected from a sample of 658 older participants located in sixteen cities across nine provinces in China and were subsequently analysed via structural equation modelling. Three main conclusions were obtained. First, Chinese older adults’ frequency of social participation was low, their level of spirituality was high, and their sense of happiness was fair. Second, older Chinese adults’ social participation, spirituality, and happiness were positively correlated with each other. Third, older Chinese adults’ spirituality fully mediated the relationship between social participation and happiness. Our data suggest that, first, it is fundamentally necessary to promote social participation among older adults with the aim of improving their happiness; second, older adults’ need for spiritual development and spiritual growth should be viewed as the core goal of the design of social activities; third, spiritual education should be included in the focus on older adult education.