How perceived social support and social engagement shape older people’s well-being in Ethiopia

This study examined how perceived social support and social engagement of older people associate on well-being among older adults living in urban northwest Ethiopia. The study utilized a cross-sectional design and secondary data analysis through structural equation modeling (SEM) from a sample of 830 older people. It examined the individual and combined association of perceived social support (PSS) of older people and their social engagement (SE) status on overall older people well-being, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being. Interestingly, perceived social support was not significantly associated to overall well-being among the older adults (β = 0.051, p = 0.586). Regarding life satisfaction, it was positively associated (β = 0.297, p < 0.001), and negatively associated (β = −0.353, p < 0.001) with psychological well-being. The latter association should be interpreted cautiously, because dependency and stress were not directly assessed. Social engagement was significantly and positively linked to life satisfaction but not to overall or psychological well-being. There was no significant association between perceived social support and social engagement for any of the well-being outcomes (All p > 0.05). These findings challenge universal understanding that social support always positively associated with well-being, suggesting it can sometimes feel like pressure or dependence, hurting mental health instead. Being socially engaged positively associated with life satisfaction, independently of perceived social support. Support program should focus on respectful, autonomy and recognize social connection as its own route to well-being, not just as extra layer of help.