From loss to action: perceived benefits as a mediating mechanism linking psychosocial loss to functional food purchase intention among older adults

This study examined how psychosocial loss influences older adults’ intention to purchase functional foods. We tested a structural equation model in which perceived benefits served as the central mediating mechanism linking psychosocial loss to purchase intention through attitude toward the behavior and perceived behavioral control. Data were collected from 228 Taiwanese adults aged 55 and above recruited from an active aging learning center in Taipei. Results showed that psychosocial loss significantly predicted perceived benefits (β = 0.331, p < 0.001), which in turn predicted attitude (β = 0.724, p < 0.001), perceived behavioral control (β = 0.152, p < 0.05), and purchase intention (β = 0.366, p < 0.001). Attitude (β = 0.516, p < 0.001) and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.109, p < 0.05) also predicted purchase intention. The direct paths from psychosocial loss to attitude, perceived behavioral control, and purchase intention were nonsignificant, whereas the total indirect effect through perceived benefits was substantial (0.278, 95% CI [0.156, 0.404]). Bootstrap analyses with 5,000 resamples and 95% bias-corrected confidence intervals confirmed significant indirect effects through attitude and perceived benefits. Psychosocial loss thus shapes purchase intention primarily through health-benefit appraisal, showing how an aging-related subjective experience becomes health-related consumption intention and identifying perceived benefits and favorable attitudes as key intervention targets.