Widowhood and Unequal Access to Social Services: The Combined Effects of Geographic Distance and Service Awareness Among Older Adults

Background and Purpose: Population aging has brought growing attention to disparities in access to social services among older adults, particularly individuals who have experienced widowhood often facing intensified vulnerability. While factors such as socioeconomic status and health are known to influence access, the role of geographic proximity to service facilities and individuals’ awareness of available services also appears to be significant. Despite this, relatively little research has explored how widowhood interacts with both spatial accessibility and service awareness to shape social service outcomes. Therefore, this study examines how geographic distance to social service facilities and service awareness are associated among widowed older adults.

Methods: Among 10,078 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years and older from 2023 National Survey of Older Koreans conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2023. Total of 3,197 (83.1% female, mean age=77.93 years ± 7.6) cases were analyzed. First, independent t-test has been conducted. Second, (1) perceived social service awareness and (2) geographic distance to social service facilities were examined the association between widowhood by conducting multiple linear regression, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, education, rural residence, income), health status (chronic conditions), and social participation

Measures: The geographic proximity to social service facilities includes the time it takes the participants to go to the hospitals, government offices, senior welfare center, and social service centers in the community. The awareness of the social services was categorized by the level of awareness among the nine social services and policies targeting on aging population.

Results: Independent samples t-tests showed that widowed older adults reported lower social service awareness than non-widowed individuals (Mean = 20.94 vs. 21.95; t = 8.61, p < .001) and differed in geographic access to service facilities (t = 4.33, p < .001). Multiple regression analyses confirmed that widowhood remained significantly associated with lower service awareness after adjusting for sociodemographic and health factors (p < .001). For geographic distance, the model was significant (R² = .494, F = 16.19, p < .001), with widowhood negatively associated with accessibility (B = -10.37, p < .001). A significant interaction between widowhood and distance (B = 0.885, p < .001) indicated that spatial disadvantages were more pronounced among widowed older adults.

Conclusions and Implications: The results of this study show that widowhood is associated with the disparities in access to social services, reflecting both lower service awareness and differences in spatial accessibility. Geographic barriers appear to have a stronger impact among widowed older adults, suggesting compounded disadvantages at the intersection of social vulnerability and spatial constraints. These results highlight the need for community-based interventions that address both informational and geographic barriers to access. Efforts to improve service delivery should pay particular attention to widowed older adults, especially those living in areas with limited proximity to social service facilities.