Living arrangement of Indian elderly: a predominant predictor of their level of life satisfaction

Abstract

Objective This article aims to examine the level of life satisfaction (LS) among Indian older adults and to determine whether their living arrangement is one of the potential determinants of their level of LS. Methods Data was drawn from the first and most recent wave of Longitudinal Ageing Study in India conducted in 2017–18. Using the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the level of LS was assessed for 30,370 elderly aged 60 + . Bivariate analysis was carried out to see the variation in the level of LS across elderlies with different socio-demographic characteristics. To investigate the association between LS and living arrangements and the selected socio-demographic factors multinomial logistic regression model was fitted. Result The findings reveal that 25.4% and 45.5% of the elderlies have reported having a low and high level of LS, respectively. Living alone was associated with low level of LS. Co-residing with a spouse was associated with a higher likelihood of reporting high level of LS. The study also found that having both spouse and children as coresident increases the likelihood of reporting high level of LS (RRR = 3.15, 95%CI = 2.3–4.28). Elderly with self-reported poor health, limitation in more than two activities of daily living and presence of depressive symptoms were significantly associated with reporting low level of LS. However, being diagnosed with more than three chronic illnesses was associated with high level of LS (RRR = 1.41, 95%CI = 1.25–1.59). Older adults with the following characteristics were more likely to report a lower level of LS: male, 60–64 years old, no or few years of schooling, unmarried, working, rural resident, living in a poor household, Scheduled Caste and Tribe. Conclusion The level of life satisfaction in Indian older adults is significantly associated with their living arrangements, thus suggesting that the LS of older adults could be facilitated through interventions that consider their living arrangements. Older adults with various personal and household characteristics were identified as vulnerable groups, who should be the prime targets of the existing welfare policies.

Examining the impact of Co-residence with a daughter-in-law on older adult health in China: Evidence from a frailty index-based study

“… Quashie et al (2022) found that co-residing male seniors were less likely to receive health support from offspring during illness than their female counterparts. Sun and Zimmer (2022) and Kandapan et al (2023) both established that residing with children enhanced life contentment in older adults. In addition to research related to blood relatives such as children and grandchildren, Researchers from both India and Pakistan have observed that widowed and solitary elderly individuals face a more than 50% increased likelihood of depression compared to their married and cohabiting counterparts ( Bhamani et al, 2013 ; Srivastava et al, 2021 ).…”

The role of life satisfaction and living arrangements in the association between chronic disease and depression: a national cross-sectional survey

“…Because of things like family structure and connections, a study has shown that older people who live with their spouse and children have greater life satisfaction than those who live alone ( Kooshiar et al, 2012 ). Kandapan et al found that older people’s living arrangements in India substantially impacted how satisfied they felt with their lives ( Kandapan et al, 2023 ).…”