Depression and social connectedness as mechanisms linking frailty to quality of life in older African migrants in Australia

Older Sub-Saharan African (SSA) migrants often face cumulative stressors that heighten vulnerability with age. Frailty acts as a chronic stressor that reduces quality of life, partly through its association with depression, while social networks may reduce the effect of depression on quality of life. We analysed cross-sectional data from 205 SSA migrants aged 50 years and above in Australia. We tested a moderated mediation model, guided by the Stress Process and Social Buffering frameworks, using structural equation modelling with 5,000 bootstrap resamples. Frailty was positively associated with depression (β = 0.72, p < 0.001), and depression was negatively associated with quality of life (β = -0.54, p < 0.001). Depression mediated the frailty-quality of life relationship (β = -0.38, p < 0.001), while social networks also moderated the depression-quality of life path (β = 0.13, p = 0.004). These findings highlight the psychological and social pathways linking frailty and well-being in later life. Interventions that address both physical and mental health while fostering strong social networks could enhance resilience and improve quality of life among older SSA migrants in Australia.