Background: Social frailty represents a critical dimension of aging, yet its specific associations with mental health and social capital remain underexplored, particularly in non-Western contexts. This study investigated the influence of psychological distress and social capital on social frailty among older adults in Egypt.
Methods: In a cross-sectional study conducted at a university hospital outpatient clinic, 316 adults aged ≥60 years were assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), the Personal Social Capital Scale-16 (PSCS-16), and the Social Frailty Scale (SFS-8). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression.
Results: Participants demonstrated moderate to high levels of social frailty (Mean = 5.55 ± 1.44). A significant positive correlation was found between psychological distress and social frailty (β = 0.333, p < 0.001), while a significant negative correlation was observed between social capital and social frailty (r = −0.349, p < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis confirmed that both higher psychological distress (β = 0.369, p < 0.001) and lower social capital (β = −0.327, p < 0.001) were significant independent predictors of social frailty, after controlling for key sociodemographic and health-related covariates. The final model explained 13.5% of the variance in social frailty scores (F = 24.510, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Psychological distress and low social capital are significant, independent contributors to social frailty in Egyptian older adults. These findings advocate for integrated geriatric care interventions that concurrently address mental well-being and strengthen social networks to effectively prevent and mitigate the adverse outcomes associated with social frailty.