Author Identifier (ORCID)
Hien Thi Nguyen: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2041-7597
Lukasz Krzyzowski: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3108-779X
Loretta Baldassar: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6246-4773
Abstract
Much has been written about the important role of social support networks (SSNs) for the well-being of older adults, encompassing their social, emotional and practical needs. Less is known about what happens to the SSNs of older people when they migrate, and even fewer studies have examined the impact of different forms of capital on these networks. Drawing on ethnographic interviews and participant observation with 22 older Vietnamese migrants in Australia (2020–21), this paper explores the influence of different forms of social, cultural, economic and symbolic capital on their SSNs. Data analysis comprised egocentric social network analysis of the connections between older migrants (egos), members of their SSNs (nodes) and their social ties (edges), alongside thematic analysis of their lived experiences using NVivo 12 systematic coding. Findings reveal close connections between various forms of capital and the creation, maintenance and disruption of four types of SSNs: local (physical proximate), distant (geographically distant), local virtual (geographically close but online) and distant virtual (geographically distant and online). The conclusion highlights the importance of developing policies that consider the interconnections between different forms of capital and types of SSNs to deepen our understanding of ‘ageing in place’ and ‘ageing in networks’.
Keywords
ageing, social network analysis, social support, social–economic–cultural–symbolic capital, Vietnamese migrants
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
5-1-2026
Volume
32
Issue
4
Publication Title
Population, Space and Place
Publisher
Wiley
School
School of Arts and Humanities
Funding Information
This paper is based on data from Nguyen's PhD research project, Growing Older Overseas: How Older Vietnam-Born People Experience Ageing and Aged Care in Australia. The project was funded by the UWA International Research Training Program Fee Offset and the University Postgraduate Awards, with additional support from the Edith Cowan University School of Arts and Humanities Research Funding.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Comments
Nguyen, H. T., Krzyzowski, L., & Baldassar, L. (2026). Growing older across time and space: The impact of various forms of capital on social support networks among older Vietnamese migrants. Population, Space and Place, 32(4), e70285. https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.70285