Life course experiences of social capital inequalities, loneliness and social isolation among immigrant older adults: A narrative case study

This study explores the socio-structural inequalities that shape social capital, loneliness and social isolation experiences of older immigrants across the life course. Using a case study approach, it illustrates the life stories of four older immigrants in Scotland: an Indian man, a Pakistani Muslim woman, and a Chinese couple. These cases were purposefully selected to illustrate diverse migration trajectories and variations in demographic, social and economic status. The analysis traces how social capital evolve across migration life course in response to immigrants’ changing needs and circumstances. At initial settlement stage, immigrants rely on bonding social capital within co-ethnic networks to mitigate loneliness caused by migration stressors and social capital constraints. During adaptation and integration stage, efforts to expand social capital reveal its heterogeneity and differential accessibility. In later life, immigrants reorganize their social capital to address ageing-related challenges and loneliness. Social capital emerges as a fluid and dynamic resource, shaped by the interplay of individual agency and structural constraints across life stages and sociospatial contexts. The relational nature of social capital, with its interwoven dimensions of bonding, bridging, and linking ties, demands a nuanced understanding that transcends simplistic categorizations such as ethnicity or cultural homogeneity. Systemic inequalities exist in the extensity, heterogeneity, and upper reachability of social capital, shaped by the intersection of structural factors such as gender, class, migration status, and labour market participation. Addressing barriers such as language barriers, workplace segregation, and socio-economic disadvantage is critical to ensuring the equitable distribution and utilization of social capital among immigrants.