Social Belonging in Migrant Older Adults: A Concept Analysis

Existing migration literature has predominantly focused on mitigating social isolation and loneliness rather than understanding what aspects promote social belonging, warranting a conceptual exploration of social belonging in migrant older adults. Political integration, community/family connections, social identity continuity, economic integration, and spatial navigation were identified as defining attributes along with the antecedents, consequences, and cases which helped to define social belonging. Social belonging in migrant older adults is defined as feeling recognized, supported, and accepted in the received country, fostered through community involvement, meaningful relationships, preservation of cultural identity, access to services, and navigation within a new environment.