Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p> <bold>Background</bold> ADL disability is associated with poorer subjective well-being (SWB) in later life, but its social pathway and socioeconomic heterogeneity remain unclear. <bold>Aims</bold> To examine whether social participation mediates the association between ADL disability and SWB and whether subjective economic status moderates the first-stage ADL disability–social participation association among older adults in China. <bold>Methods</bold> We analysed cross-sectional data from 8,853 adults aged 60 years or older in the 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey using fully adjusted ordinary least-squares, 5,000-resample bootstrap mediation, and first-stage moderated mediation models. <bold>Results</bold> Greater ADL disability was associated with lower social participation ( <italic>B</italic> = − 0.103, <italic>P</italic> < 0.001), whereas social participation was positively associated with SWB ( <italic>B</italic> = 0.102, <italic>P</italic> < 0.001). The indirect association was − 0.011 (95% confidence interval [CI] − 0.017 to − 0.004), accounting for 15.4% of the total association. Subjective economic status moderated the first-stage pathway (interaction <italic>B</italic> = − 0.109, <italic>P</italic> = 0.001). Conditional indirect associations were − 0.004, − 0.011, and − 0.018 at low, mean, and high levels, respectively; the high-versus-low contrast was − 0.014 (95% CI − 0.024 to − 0.005). Sensitivity analyses supported the overall pattern. <bold>Discussion</bold> Social participation represented a modest but discernible component of the ADL disability–SWB association, with this indirect pattern varying across perceived economic circumstances. <bold>Conclusions</bold> The findings situate functional disability within a broader configuration of activity engagement and perceived resources, highlighting the relevance of preserving meaningful participation in later life. </p>