REGIONAL DISPARITIES AND LATER-LIFE WELLBEING: A STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL AND RELATIONAL FACTORS IN TÜRKİYE

Abstract

This study investigates how marital status, social participation, and regional disparities intersect to shape subjective well-being (SWB) among older adults in Türkiye, drawing on the raw data from the nationally representative 2023 TÜİK Türkiye Older Persons Profile Survey (n = 29,785). Results reveal that marital status and social engagement are consistently significant predictors of life satisfaction across most Turkish regions. Married individuals report significantly higher life satisfaction and greater social participation than their unmarried, divorced, or widowed counterparts, with the strongest effects observed in structurally disadvantaged and traditional regions such as Central East Anatolia. Social participation—measured through engagement in parks, cultural activities, NGOs, or volunteering—was positively associated with life satisfaction in 11 of the 12 regions, though this relationship was absent in Central East Anatolia, indicating regional variability in the psychosocial benefits of participation. Additionally, living alone modestly reduced the likelihood of social participation, while chronic illness negatively influenced life satisfaction. Despite low average scores on a 5-point life satisfaction scale (M = 2.4), a paradoxically high proportion of respondents (89.3%) reported being satisfied with their lives, suggesting the role of cultural resilience and relational compensation. These findings underscore the salience of relational support and regional context in aging well and call for place-sensitive aging policies that reinforce social infrastructures, especially in under-resourced regions.

Keywords

• Aging
• Subjective well-being
• Social participation
• Marital status

Bölgesel Eşitsizlikler ve Yaşlılıkta Refah: Türkiye'de Sosyal ve İlişkisel Faktörlerin Yapısal Bir Analizi

Öz

Bu çalışma, Türkiye’de yaşlı bireylerin refah düzeyini belirlemede medeni durum, sosyal katılım ve bölgesel farklılıkların nasıl kesiştiğini incelemektedir. 2023 TÜİK Türkiye Yaşlı Profili Araştırması ham verilerine (n = 29.785) dayanarak yapılan analizler, evli olmanın ve sosyal katılımın yaşam memnuniyeti üzerinde güçlü ve tutarlı etkileri olduğunu göstermektedir. Evli bireyler, özellikle Orta Doğu Anadolu gibi dezavantajlı bölgelerde, daha yüksek refah düzeyi ve sosyal katılım sergilemiştir. Sosyal faaliyetlere katılım, 12 bölgenin 11’inde yaşam memnuniyetiyle anlamlı şekilde ilişkilidir; ancak bu ilişki Orta Doğu Anadolu’da gözlemlenmemiştir. Ayrıca, yalnız yaşayanlar daha az sosyal katılım gösterirken, kronik hastalığa sahip bireylerin yaşam memnuniyeti düşüktür. Ortalama memnuniyet puanı düşük olsa da (M = 2,4), katılımcıların %89,3’ü genel olarak yaşamlarından memnun olduklarını belirtmiştir. Bulgular, aile bağları ve sosyal ilişkilerin yaşlılıkta refahı destekleyici rolünü vurgulamakta; özellikle kaynak yetersizliği olan bölgelerde sosyal altyapıyı güçlendirecek bölgeye özgü politikaların gerekliliğine işaret etmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Yaşlanma
• Öznel iyi oluş
• Sosyal katılım
• Medeni durum

Kaynakça

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