Life Satisfaction among Older Adults in Rural and Urban Mongolia: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Abstract

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Life satisfaction is a strong indicator of well-being for older adults. In this study, we aimed to assess the level and correlates of life satisfaction among older adults in urban and rural Mongolia. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We recruited 304 community-dwelling older adults in urban and rural regions of Mongolia. We compared levels of life satisfaction for the two groups, and then used hierarchical regression to examine the association of sociodemographic, health, psychosocial factors, and urban/rural status with life satisfaction. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Older adults in urban areas reported higher levels of life satisfaction than their rural counterparts. In the final step of the hierarchical regression model, more grandchildren in the household, better self-rated health, and reporting more positive than negative affect were associated with better life satisfaction at <i>p</i> < 0.05 as were engaging in paid work and lower levels of loneliness at <i>p</i> < 0.10. Net the effects of all other variables in the analysis, older adults in rural areas reported lower levels of life satisfaction. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Our findings indicate that living in rural areas of Mongolia leads to lower levels of life satisfaction. We identify potential points to intervene through policies, programs, and practices that target the strengths and needs of older adults in rural areas by addressing inequities in socioeconomics, health, mental health, and opportunities for social integration.

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“…Prior studies have predominantly focused on developed societies, such as those in the UK, Australia, and North America (Kolodinsky et al, 2013;Powe et al, 2009;Van Leeuwen and Rietveld, 2011), while allocating comparatively less attention to rapidly developing countries. Existing research has typically been centered on a singular purpose, such as livestock (Rao et al, 2015;Sneath, 2006), healthcare (Dorjdagva et al, 2015;Guillon et al, 2022;Otgon et al, 2023), or education (Dorjdagva et al, 2015;Javkhlan and Hyun, 2021;Sukhbaatar and Tarkó, 2022), and mining (Amartuvshin et al, 2021;Lahiri-Dutt and Dondov, 2017). However, the diverse functions of the rural settlements in Mongolia have not yet been investigated.…”