Social connection describes how individuals connect, relate and interact with one another, and can affect quality of life (QoL) in persons with dementia. Much of the existing research on social connection does not explicitly differentiate social connection’s structure, function and quality components. Due to this, social connection is described using inconsistent terminology, making it unknown how each component is associated with health and well-being outcomes. However, for people with dementia, it is unknown which components of social connection are associated with QoL and whether factors such as gender and type of dementia influence these relationships. This scoping review will identify which components of social connection have been studied in relation to the QoL for people with dementia. This will address inconsistent definitions of social connection terminology and clarify what components of social connection are described and measured in the existing literature.

The six-stage scoping review framework developed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005), with updates from Levac et al (2010), will be used. In March 2025, a comprehensive literature search in the following databases will be conducted: MEDLINE ALL (Ovid), APA PsycInfo (Ovid), Embase Classic and Embase (Ovid), CINAHL Complete (EBSCOhost) and Scopus, from database inception. Studies will be included if they are observational studies reporting on an association between social connection and QoL in community-dwelling people with dementia. In Covidence, two reviewers will independently screen the titles and abstracts and review full-text articles based on the inclusion criteria. Data extraction will be carried out by one reviewer and cross-checked by another reviewer. A content analysis for scoping reviews will be used to analyse data and synthesise findings.

Ethical approval is not required. Dissemination activities will include peer-reviewed publications, academic presentations and lay summaries on professional websites and social media.