Self-reported Life Satisfaction Research Articles

Life satisfaction and suicide: a 20-year follow-up study.

The authors investigated whether self-reported life satisfaction predicted suicide over a period of 20 years (1976-1995) in adults unselected for mental health status. A nationwide sample of adults aged 18-64 years (N=29,173) from the Finnish Twin Cohort responded to a health questionnaire that included a life satisfaction scale (score range=4-20, with higher scores indicating greater dissatisfaction) that covered four items: interest in life, happiness, general ease of living, and feeling of loneliness. "Dissatisfied" subjects (life satisfaction score=12-20) were compared to "satisfied" subjects (score=4-6). Mortality data were derived from the national registry and analyzed with Cox regression. Dissatisfaction at baseline (life satisfaction score=12-20) was associated with a higher risk of suicide throughout the 20-year follow-up period (age-adjusted hazard ratio=3.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.83-4.98). The association was somewhat stronger in the first decade (hazard ratio=4.46, 95% CI=1.95-10.20) than in the second (hazard ratio=2.34, 95% CI=1.24-4.45). A dose-response relationship was also found. Men with the highest degrees of dissatisfaction (life satisfaction score=19-20) were 24.85 times as prone to commit suicide as satisfied men during the first 10 years of the follow-up period. Throughout the entire follow-up, life dissatisfaction still predicted suicide after adjusting for age, sex, baseline health status, alcohol consumption, smoking status, and physical activity (hazard ratio=1.74, 95% CI=1.02-2.97). Subjects who reported dissatisfaction at baseline and again 6 years later showed a high suicide risk (hazard ratio=6.84, 95% CI=1.99-23.50) compared to those who repeatedly reported satisfaction. Life dissatisfaction has a long-term effect on the risk of suicide, and this seems to be partly mediated through poor health behavior. Life satisfaction seems to be a composite health indicator.

Self-reported life satisfaction and recovery from depression in a 1-year prospective study.

To study the relationship of a self-rated four-item life satisfaction scale (LS) to the self-rated 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) and to study LS changes during recovery from depression. A 1-year prospective study on 188 depressive patients receiving standard psychiatric outpatient treatment; 137 of the patients had major depression. LS correlated strongly with BDI and HAMD. It explained 46.6%) of the variation in BDI at baseline and 66.2% at 12 months. LS improved substantially during recovery. The main recovery occurred during the first 6 months, the change in the LS score explaining 46.5% of the change in the BDI score (P < 0.001). Life satisfaction is strongly affected in depression, but it improves concurrently with recovery from depression. LS scale may prove useful in screening for those whose subjective wellbeing deserves attention and in assessing alleviation from depression.

Success at Work, Life Patterns, and Overall Life Satisfaction: Changes in the Lives of Men and Women since the 1980s in West-Germany

Summary This paper focuses on the structural relationship between family building and upward mobility. Typically this relationship is analyzed for women only, while we include men as well. With new patterns of intimate partnerships and non-traditional families, on the one hand, and a changing labor market, on the other hand, new assertions about their connection have emerged. Using SOEP-data, the possible change in that relationship is investigated in two years, 1986 and 1996. In addition, the influence of success at work and the private life pattern on overall satisfaction with life is analyzed. As life patterns and labor market conditions have changed over time, researchers of family behavior and occupational and professional career development have advanced new assertions about the connection between intimate relationships and occupational mobility. For the most part, these new theories have only implicitly acknowledged the role that changes in life patterns and labor market have played in determining occupational and career choices. Demographically, more men and women remain childless and remain unmarried. From the perspective of career advancement, childless men and women are seen as being more flexible in their time management, as having better chances to continue their education, and as being more mobile geographically. For these reasons, it is commonly assumed that childless men and women are at an advantage in pursuing their occupational careers. However, little empirical evidence has been collected to see if these assumptions are borne out in individual experiences. This paper examines how career advancement and self-reported life satisfaction differ between married and unmarried individuals who choose to remain childless and those who have children. We focus on differences between men and women and over time in the association between life patterns, career advancement and life satisfaction. This study adds to the literature on family and occupational mobility research because we study men, as well as women. When men are studied, their work histories are typically assumed to be independent of intimate relationships — at least as far as occupational research and labor market theories are concerned. Consequently, few empirical studies consider the possible association between these two life domains for men. Some family theories, in particular those subsumed under the more general heading of family economics, provide at least an implicit theoretical framework.

Self-reported life satisfaction and 20-year mortality in healthy Finnish adults.

The authors investigated the role of self-reported life satisfaction in mortality with a prospective cohort study (1976-1995). A nationwide sample of healthy adults (18-64 years, n = 22,461) from the Finnish Twin Cohort responded to a questionnaire about life satisfaction and known predictors of mortality in 1975. A summary score for life satisfaction (LS), defined as interest in life, happiness, loneliness, and general ease of living (scale range, 4-20), was determined and used as a three-category variable: the satisfied (LS, 4-6) (21%), the intermediate group (LS, 7-11) (65%), and the dissatisfied (LS, 12-20) (14%). Mortality data were analyzed with Cox regression. Dissatisfaction was linearly associated with increased mortality. The age-adjusted hazard ratios of all-cause, disease, or injury mortality among dissatisfied versus satisfied men were 2.11 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.68, 2.64), 1.83 (95% CI: 1.40, 2.39), and 3.01 (95% CI: 1.94, 4.69), respectively. Adjusting for marital status, social class, smoking, alcohol use, and physical activity diminished these risks to 1.49 (95% CI: 1.16, 1.92), 1.35 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.82), and 1.93 (95% CI: 1.19, 3.12), respectively. Dissatisfaction was associated with increased disease mortality, particularly in men with heavy alcohol use (hazard ratio = 3.76, 95% CI: 1.61, 8.80). Women did not show similar associations between life satisfaction and mortality. Life dissatisfaction may predict mortality and serve as a general health risk indicator. This effect seems to be partially mediated through adverse health behavior.

The funds, friends, and faith of happy people.

New studies are revealing predictors of subjective well-being, often assessed as self-reported happiness and life satisfaction. Worldwide, most people report being at least moderately happy, regardless of age and gender. As part of their scientific pursuit of happiness, researchers have examined possible associations between happiness and (a) economic growth and personal income, (b) close relationships, and (c) religious faith.

Predictors of Life Satisfaction among Filipino Managerial and Professional Women

This study examined predictors of life satisfaction reported by 200 Filipino managerial and professional women. Two types of correlates were considered, personal and work-situation characteristics and work experiences and work outcomes. Data were collected using anonymous questionnaires from women working in fashion or cosmetics and banking or financial services. Personal and situational characteristics were generally unrelated to self-reported life satisfaction; however, work experiences and work outcomes were consistently and strongly related to self-reported life satisfaction. Filipino managerial and professional women reporting more positive work experiences and more favorable work outcomes also reported greater life satisfaction.

Self-reported life satisfaction

Self-reported life satisfaction

Self-reported life satisfaction

Self-reported life satisfaction

Motivational and behavioral correlates of life satisfaction in an elderly sample.

This study examined the relationship between self-reported life satisfaction of elderly persons and their motivation for competence as assessed on self-ratings and indirect measures of needs for achievement and affiliation. Behavioral data relating to frequency of engaging in mastery-type activities, social interactions and exercise were also gathered. This sample described themselves as content with their lives and healthy relative to normative levels. As predicted, there was a marked discrepancy between self-report and implicit measures of motivation, with self-reported motives being significantly correlated with satisfaction (i.e., r = .33 for Achievement and r = .30 for Affiliation) and implicit motives not significantly correlated with satisfaction. Needs for achievement and affiliation on the whole did not significantly correlate with actual life circumstances. The results suggest that competence motivation may play a small part in the contentment which older individuals feel in their lives.

Life-satisfaction in patients with head and neck cancer

Life-satisfaction is a measure of a patient's perception of the difference between his reality and his needs, or wants. This study reports the results of a longitudinal survey of patients' self-reported life-satisfaction following treatment for head and neck cancer. Life-satisfaction scores improved with time, and were related to pain, speech difficulty, and dysphagia. Lack of adequate family support was also important, although an uncommon problem. Treatment modality did not emerge as a significant determinant of life-satisfaction; speech difficulties were more likely to be due to articulation problems than voicing difficulty.

Development of a structured interview scale for measuring quality of life of the severely mentally ill.

An objective, semi-structured interview questionnaire (QOLIS) was designed and tested with 201 severely mentally ill people who were living in a state hospital and in community residential facilities. Factor analysis resulted in eight factors with face validity and acceptable coefficient alphas. The factors were found to be related meaningfully to overall level of functioning, total symptom scores, self-reported life satisfaction, and an established objective measure of quality of life. Criterion validity was established and the QOLIS factors significantly differentiated people who were living in the community vs. living in a state hospital. These results suggest that the QOLIS has potential as a valid outcome measure and program evaluation tool.

Neuroticism versus demographic variables as correlates of self-reported life satisfaction in a sample of older adults

The Life Satisfaction Index A, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Profile of Mood States were administered to 120 retired Californians whose mean age was 73 yr. Demographic data were also collected. Life satisfaction scores were greater among those respondents with low self-rated anxiety, high religious commitment, higher socio-economic status, and in good health. Trait anxiety alone accounted for approximately 39% of the total variance in self-reported life satisfaction, although further significant contributions were made by state anxiety and religious commitment. It is argued that self-ratings of life satisfaction among older adults are primarily expressions of stable personality attributes, and that further studies of this type should employ standard measures used in describing adjustment in the general population.

A Multilevel Model of Life Satisfaction: Effects of Individual Characteristics and Neighborhood Composition

The effects of individual attributes, neighborhood context, and neighborhood social comparison on self-reported life satisfaction are examinedfor a sample of United States residents. We hypothesize that neighborhoods are important social contexts within which individuals draw satisfaction from life. In the individual-level model of life satisfaction, the results agree with past research that age, education, health, and marital status affect satisfaction. The effects of neighborhood context and social-comparison processes show that rural dwellers are more satisfied than city dwellers, while persons living in neighborhoods with a high cost of living are less satisfied. People whose incomes are below the neighborhood average may be less satisfied.

On the construction of a kite, for effecting a communication between a stranded ship and the shore, or under other circumstances, where badness of weather renders the ordinary means impracticable

Extreme weather events cause harm among the aggrieved party that often goes beyond material damages. This paper studies the impact of extreme weather events on measures of self-reported life satisfaction. Focusing on Germany, we use representative panel data for 2000–2011 to study the effect of seven storm & hail events and five floods on subjective well-being in the affected NUTS 3 regions. Our results indicate that both weather experiences bear statistically significant negative externalities. Following an extreme weather event, life satisfaction is reduced by 0.020–0.027 on the 11-point scale. While the effect of storm & hail events is rather immediate in nature, the effect from floods persists much longer.