Individual level cognitive social capital and subsequent health and well-being among older adults in Japan: An outcome-wide study

BACKGROUND: Cognitive social capital-including trust, reciprocity, and attachment-may play a crucial role in shaping health and well-being in later life. This study examined these associations among older adults in Japan. METHODS: We analyzed two datasets from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. Dataset 1 included three-wave longitudinal data from 2016, 2019, and 2022 (n = 41,758), covering 42 self-reported outcomes. Dataset 2 linked 2016-2019 survey data with administrative records on mortality, dementia, and functional disability from 2019 to 2022 (n = 56,153). Cognitive social capital was assessed in 2019. Outcomes in 2022 were grouped into seven domains: (1) happiness and life satisfaction, (2) mental and physical health, (3) meaning and purpose, (4) character and virtue, (5) structural social capital, (6) health behaviors, and (7) cognitive social capital. Multivariable regression models were adjusted for pre-baseline covariates and prior exposure and outcome values. Bonferroni correction was applied (p < 0.0011). RESULTS: Higher levels of trust, reciprocity, and attachment were consistently associated with better outcomes across all domains. For example, trust was linked to greater human flourishing (β = 0.11) and fewer depressive symptoms (β = -0.09). However, associations were not uniform across population groups, with subgroup differences observed by gender and educational attainment. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive social capital is broadly associated with multidimensional health and well-being in later life, especially within psychological domains. Given the observed heterogeneity, approaches to strengthening social connections may benefit from considering group-specific characteristics. Community efforts to foster social capital may help promote psychological health and healthy aging.