Exploring Life Satisfaction in Exceptional Old Age: The Mediating Role of Positive and Negative Affect

Abstract

This study involved 137 centenarians from Phase 3 of the Georgia Centenarian Study. Path analysis using Mplus Version 6.11 was used to explore how positive and negative affect mediate the association between perceived and functional health status, cognition, fatigue, and distal life event stress on life satisfaction. The final path model fit the data: MLR χ2 (4, N = 137) = 5.84, p = .21, CFI = .97; RMSEA = .06; SRMR = .03. Perceived health (γ = −.23, p < .01) and cognition (γ = −.16, p < .05) had a negative direct association with negative affect, whereas functional health (γ = .20, p < .05) and fatigue (γ = .24, p < .001) maintained positive direct associations. Relative to positive affect, perceived health (γ = .21, p < .01) had a direct positive association with positive affect, but fatigue (γ = −.38, p < .001) had a negative direct association. In addition, negative affect (β = −.19, p < .05) and fatigue (β −.19, p < .05) maintained direct negative associations with life satisfaction. Indirect associations between perceived health (.064, [CI = .006, .121]), functional health (−.055, [CI = −.109, −001]), and fatigue (−.068, [CI = −.124, −.011]) and life satisfaction emerged in the presence of negative affect but not positive affect. It appears that life satisfaction among long-lived persons depends on the extent to which negative emotions are experienced. This has implications in addressing the impact of negative affect on the well-being of long-lived persons.