What matters for life satisfaction in the oldest-old?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with life satisfaction in the oldest-old within a spectrum of psychosocial and health related variables. Scores on the life satisfaction index (LSI-Z) were related to scales and questions regarding, demographics, depression, locus of control, cognitive function, functional capacity (instrumental and personal activities of daily living), self-rated overall health and medically based health, and social network. The sample consisted of 315 participants, aged 80-98 years; (M = 83 years, 66% women). Regression analyses indicated that social network quality, self-rated overall health, sense of being in control of one's life, and depressive symptoms were significantly associated with life satisfaction. There was no gender difference in overall life satisfaction. However, there were different patterns of variables associated with life satisfaction in men and women. Self-rated overall health and depressive symptoms were related to life satisfaction in women, whereas widowhood was significantly associated with lower life satisfaction among men. The results emphasize the need to analyse associates of life satisfaction within a broader context of psychosocial variables and separately for men and women.

Day care centre attendance and quality of life in depressed older adults living in the community

“…As far as the correlation between social participation and QOL is concerned, there is evidence supporting the role of social factors in improving the QOL both in adults suffering from depressive disorders (Sung and Yeh 2007) and in older adults (de Belvis et al 2008;Berg et al 2006;Gabriel and Bowling 2004;Ho et al 2003). However, it must be stressed that there are important differences in the determinants of QOL between adults and older people, with health and functional ability having a much greater importance among the latter (Bowling 2008;Walker 2005).…”

Assessing Health Endowment, Access and Choice Determinants: Impact on Retired Europeans’ (In)activity and Quality of Life

“…In turn, psychological health has been found to be much more related to subjective well-being (Hsu 2009). Contrastingly, studies in developed countries have found both physical conditions and socioeconomic status to be related to life satisfaction, but the later only in elderly men, not women (Berg et al 2006), with successful aging definitely involving not only individuals' physical health and psychological well-being, but also social support and engagement in productive activities (Rowe and Kahn 1997). In sum, different socioeconomic realities may play different roles in determining health (and health self-perception), and both might produce very different results in older citizens' well-being, depending on the cultural or developmental context.…”

“…Self-rated health had been found related to life satisfaction, but only in women (Berg et al 2006), with older women having found to have lower subjective well-being than men Sörensen 2001, Carmel andBernstein 2003). Others have found that the relationship between life satisfaction and the quality of social relationships Liang 2007, Röcke andLachman 2008)-captured by CASP-12 questions-is stronger in women than men (Cheng and Chan 2006).…”

“…In sum, whilst gender plays an important role in elderly Europeans' enrollment in activities, it is found irrelevant in determining quality of life. Other studies have corroborated the absence of a gender difference in life satisfaction in a developed economy (Berg et al 2006). This paper sought to evaluate the contributions of bio-psycho-social influences on health and some of the implications for positive aging and active engagement with life (Rowe and Kahn 1997) of elderly well-being, which have been discussed.…”

“…age and gender) or socioeconomic influences are determinant in elderly well-being. Though this is fairly consensual in the case of developing countries, with plentiful evidence (Hsu 2010;Chou and Chi 2002;), only some is found for developed countries (Berg et al 2006;Borg et al 2006), with most of the evidence pointing to weaker socioeconomic status influences on high-income countries (Howell and Howell 2008) or simply relative or comparative status influence (Ball and Chernova 2008;Easterlin and Plagnol 2008).…”