Toward Meaningful Voluntary Work Design Through Social Capital Pathways for Addressing Loneliness (MVP‐SC): A Cross‐Sectional Study Among Older Adults in Hong Kong
Shiyu LuObjectives
Although late‐life volunteering is recognized as a promising strategy to alleviate loneliness, little is known about how the design of voluntary work is associated with social capital (SC) and loneliness. This study proposed and tested the Meaningful Voluntary Work Design through Social Capital Pathways framework, examining how voluntary work characteristics (VWCs) relate to loneliness through structural, relational, and cognitive SC, and whether these pathways vary by individual attributes.
Methods
A cross‐sectional survey was conducted with 457 older volunteers (aged ≥ 60) in Hong Kong between 2024 and 2025. Six VWCs (task variety, task significance, autonomy, feedback, social support, recognition) were assessed using adapted subscales of the Work Design Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling and moderated mediation analyses were used.
Results
No VWCs were directly associated with loneliness. Social support showed indirect associations with loneliness via structural ( β = −0.02, p < 0.05), relational ( β = −0.05, p < 0.05), and cognitive ( β = −0.07, p < 0.05) SC. Recognition showed indirect associations through relational ( β = −0.06, p < 0.05) and cognitive ( β = −0.02, p < 0.05) SC. Feedback was indirectly associated with loneliness via cognitive SC, whereas autonomy was indirectly associated with loneliness via structural SC. Indirect VWC‐loneliness associations via structural SC were stronger among the old‐old, whereas indirect VWC‐loneliness associations via relational SC were stronger among women and singletons.
Conclusions
This study underscores the importance of intentional role design in leveraging volunteering as a public health strategy to promote social connection in later life.