Weathering the Drought: Risks and Resilience Patterns in Functional Health of Older Adults Across Rural India

As climate change accelerates, its health risks are not evenly distributed. They follow entrenched systems of social and economic stratification. Social capital acts as a resilience resource, potentially buffering the adverse health effects of recurring climate shocks. This paper examines how repeated droughts shape the risk of functional health deterioration among older adults in rural India and whether social capital enhances resilience to these impacts. Using longitudinal data from two waves of the India Human Development Survey (2004–05 and 2011–12), the analysis follows 32,248 adults aged 40 and older to assess changes in functional limitations over time. Results show that exposure to two or more droughts increases the risk of functional deterioration by 18% compared to no drought exposure, while single droughts show no effect. Economic position and social capital both shape resilience. The poorest households experience deterioration in functional limitations after exposure to repeated droughts, whereas the richest did not see a decline. Social capital operated as a crisis-activated resource rather than a general health advantage, mitigating drought-related health deterioration primarily among disadvantaged groups.