Relationship between social participation and life satisfaction in community-dwelling older adults: Multiple mediating roles of depression and cognitive function

Background: Numerous studies have explored the relationship between social participation, depression, cognitive function, and life satisfaction in community-dwelling older adults. However, the results of these studies were not consistent. Therefore, the in-depth excavation of the complex relationship mechanism between these four variables is limited. This study aims to explore whether depression and cognitive function act as the multiple mediators between social participation and life satisfaction in community-dwelling older adults.Methods: This study used the meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) approach. Six databases were comprehensively searched to investigate the relationship between social participation, depression, cognitive function, and life satisfaction in community-dwelling older adults from inception to March 1, 2023. Results: The analysis included 50 articles that reported 66 effect sizes (N = 161,854). The MASEM found the relationship between social participation and life satisfaction was mediated by depression [beta = 0.085, 95 % CI (0.053, 0.126)] and by cognitive function [beta = 0.015, 95 % CI (0.002, 0.033)], respectively. Depression and cognitive function also played multiple mediating roles between social participation and life satisfaction in community-dwelling older adults [beta = 0.005, 95 % CI (0.001, 0.012)].Conclusions: There was not only a direct association between social participation and life satisfaction, but also an association through multiple mediating roles of depression and cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults. In the process of using diverse interventions to promote social participation in community-dwelling older adults, more attention should be paid to their psychological status and cognitive function to eliminate intrinsic barriers so as to improve life satisfaction effectively.