Longitudinal association between social participation and trajectories of life satisfaction in late middle-aged Korean adults with physical disabilities

Abstract

Late middle-aged adults (50–64 years of age) who have physical disabilities often experience a decline in life satisfaction due to those bodily limitations. It is crucial to understand how their life satisfaction can be enhanced to support the social participation, health and wellbeing of this age group. This study examined the association between social participation and life satisfaction over time in Korean adults 50–64 years of age with physical disabilities. Data on 545 adults with physical disabilities aged 50–64 years from the 2016–2021 Korea Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled (PSED) were extracted. The dependent variable was self-reported life satisfaction while social participation was the time-varying independent variable which was measured with a single question. The latent growth model (LGM) was used to examine the association between social participation and life satisfaction at each time point. The sample was composed of 313 (57.43 per cent) males and 232 (42.57 per cent) females from Korea having an average age of 57.42 years. A piecewise LGM demonstrated good model fit. Social participation was positively associated with life satisfaction at each time point for over the course of six years, with standardised coefficients ranging from 0.154 to 0.275 (p<0.001). Social participation contributed significantly to life satisfaction in Korean adults 50–64 years of age with physical disabilities. The findings indicate the need for social participation that could improve the life satisfaction of those with physical disabilities.