Subjective Well-being In Later Life Research Articles

Perceived Control, Control Strategies, and Subjective Well-being in the Elderly: A Longitudinal Study of Health Behavior.

Objectives: We analyzed the directional effect of perceived control and control strategies on subjective well-being in middle-aged and elderly people with historical data, and to provide data support for the intervention of well-being in the later years of the elderly group, so as to help them age successfully.Methods: Using data from the CLHLS between 2005 and 2014, we collected demographic and social data of the same elderly population over the decade. We also gathered information on changes in well-being, perceived control, and the use of control strategies. To analyze the longitudinal relationship between subjective well-being and perceived control, including the impact of control strategies on subjective well-being, we used a multilevel growth model with MPLUS. Results: We found that subjective well-being and perceived control were not affected by time. However, changes in perceived control in older adults could predict their level of subjective well-being. Those with higher initial levels of perceived control experienced greater increases in subjective well-being. Additionally, the use of control strategies had a significant influence on changes in subjective well-being, explaining 70.5% of the variance. Conclusion: Combined use of multiple control strategies is a feasible way to improve subjective well-being in later life.

Long-Term Residential Environment Exposure and Subjective Wellbeing in Later Life in Guangzhou, China: Moderated by Residential Mobility History.

With rapid global urbanization, the importance of understanding relationships between the changing environment and wellbeing is being increasingly recognized. However, there is still a lack of understanding of how long-term residential environment exposure affects subjective wellbeing under the dual changes of geographical environment and residential location. Based on a survey of the elderly (people over 60 years old) in Guangzhou, China, this study analyzes the effect of long-term residential environment exposure over 25 years on subjective wellbeing in later life in the context of residential mobility. The study found that subjective wellbeing in later life is not only related to the current residential environment but also the cumulative exposure to the long-term residential environment. The relationship between long-term residential environment exposure and subjective wellbeing in later life tends to be stable with the increase of cumulative time, especially the cumulative years over 15 years. Considering the importance of residential mobility history, the study further analyzes the moderating effects of relocation frequency and residential location. Relocation frequency can strengthen the positive effect of residential environment on subjective wellbeing and weaken the negative effect of residential environment on subjective wellbeing, which confirms the existence of residential self-selection. In addition, the direction of effect of residential environment on residents who move between living in the urban center and the periphery is consistent with that of residents who have always lived in the urban center, while the effects of the residential environment on residents who have always lived in the urban center and those who have always lived in the urban periphery are related in different directions. The conclusion of this study can provide guidance for individuals’ residential choice and governance of the urban environment to improve wellbeing.

Lived Experience of Senior Citizens on Plant-Human Relationship: A Phenomenological Study of Therapeutic Wellbeing in Urban Nepal

Ageing is a natural phenomenon, and it is inevitable. Everyone eventually grows, and this growth brings weakness and decline in the individual’s physical, mental, and overall well-being. There have been many studies done regarding identifying the possible link between the plant-human relationship and its impact on the well-being of humans. This phenomenological study has provided the perspective of elderly people/senior citizens concerning their experience with plant-related activities. The foundation of this study is based on five key primary questions in the thematic area of “plant-health relationship for subjective wellbeing in later life of retirees”. This study involved fifteen participants: four women and eleven men aged 60-80 years who were retired from 20 to 40 years of service in governmental, semi-, and non-governmental organizations. They were living with their families and had fairly similar physical and cognitive abilities. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed using the descriptive phenomenological method. Retired professionals from different sectors (education, police force, banking, agriculture, Army, engineering, nursing, community development, etc.) were found to be active, having a good understanding of plants and their relationship to human wellbeing. Most of them spent more than three hours daily in their horticultural activities (like kitchen gardening, rooftop gardening, terrace gardening, lawn or indoor plants). They utilized their competence and experiences gained from parents and ancestors, keeping themselves busy and productive after retirement. The narrative presented in this study directs towards a strong link between plant-human relationships and wellbeing.

Social and satisfied? Social uses of mobile phone and subjective wellbeing in later life

The current study examined the associations between socio-demographic background and engagement in social uses of mobile phone, and between the engagement in these uses and life satisfaction and health satisfaction in later life through the lens of digital divide and uses and gratifications theories. The data, collected from the retired Internet users (62 and older) residing in seven countries (N = 5713), were analyzed using logistic and linear regression models. The results show that education and age predicted the engagement in social uses in the most consistent way. A number of social uses positively related to both life and health satisfaction. Of the particular uses, e-mailing and instant messaging were positively associated with life and health satisfaction. The results imply that socio-demographic background predicts the engagement in social uses of mobile phone in later life, that the engagement in such uses plays an overall significant role in wellbeing in later life, and that some particular uses play a greater role than others in this regard.

Sexual Orientation and Psychosocial Factors in Terms of Loneliness and Subjective Well-Being in Later Life.

The aim of our study was to fill the gap in knowledge regarding the association between sexual orientation and psychosocial outcomes (loneliness and subjective well-being) based on nationally representative samples. Cross-sectional data collected in 2017 were taken from a nationally representative sample of individuals in the second half of life (>40 years) in Germany (n = 4,785, average age 66.4 years, standard deviation [SD]: 10.5 years). Outcomes were assessed using well-established tools (life satisfaction: Satisfaction with Life Scale; positive and negative affect: Positive and Negative Affect Schedule; loneliness: De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale). Sexual orientation was dichotomized (heterosexual; sexual minorities including gay/lesbian, bisexual, and other). Analyses were adjusted for socioeconomic factors, lifestyle-related factors, and health-related factors. In total, around 7.8% of respondents belonged to sexual minorities. Adjusted for various several socioeconomic, lifestyle-related and health-related covariates, linear regressions showed that sexual minority older adults reported higher loneliness scores (β = 0.07, p < .05), whereas sexual orientation was not associated with subjective well-being (life satisfaction, as well as positive and negative affect). Furthermore, our analysis showed that gender, age, marital status, and depressive symptoms were consistently associated with loneliness and subjective well-being. In accordance with minority stress theory, our study showed that sexual minority older adults report higher loneliness scores. This finding is important as loneliness has become widely acknowledged as a new geriatric giant, which could increase, for example, the risk of morbidity and mortality. Moreover, reducing loneliness is important for successful aging.

Friendship and Loneliness: A Prototype Roadmap for Health System Action

Friendship and Loneliness: A Prototype Roadmap for Health System Action

Marital Strain and Support and Subjective Well-Being in Later Life: Ascribing a Role to Early-Life Conditions

Decades of research have the beneficial effects of marital support and the detrimental consequences of marital strain on health and well-being. However, we know relatively less about how circumstances in childhood—a key developmental period of the life course—influence the relational structure in which later life is embedded and any implications this may hold for well-being. We integrate the life course perspective with the stress process model to offer a framework for how childhood conditions (childhood happiness, family structure, and financial strain) moderate the relationship between marital support/strain and subjective well-being in older adulthood in potentially different ways for men and women. The consequences of marital strain may be more severe and the benefits of marital support may not be as strongly felt for those adults who experienced greater adversity during childhood. Drawing on longitudinal data from Waves 2 (2010-2011) and 3 (2015-2016) of the NSHAP project (N = 1,376), results from lagged dependent variable models suggest that marital support buffers the effect of not living with both parents in childhood on subjective well-being for men. Meanwhile, women raised in families that experienced financial hardship reported lower subjective well-being in the context of marital strain in later life. No significant interaction effects were obtained for childhood happiness. Taken together, our findings suggest that adverse experiences in childhood can be scarring, particularly in the context of strained intimate relationships. However, a supportive marriage can, in some cases, offset the effects of childhood hardship on subjective well-being in later life.

The Association Between the Use of Digital Health Management Tools and Subjective Well-Being Among Older Adults

This study aims to examine the association between the use of digital health management tools and subjective well-being in later life. Research is limited about technology use (e.g., participation in online wellness program, finding medical information, using devices to monitor health) among community dwelling older adults. This study used data from the Health and Retirement study 2012 Module “Technology Use: Barriers and Benefits” (N = 1,416). We used multiple regression methods to test the association between technology use and subjective well-being (i.e., self-rated health, life satisfaction, and depressive symptoms). Over half of the participants reported using technology (58%). The mean age for this group was 68.7 (SD 9.6). Majority of the respondents were female (55%). About 18% were non-Hispanic Blacks, 2% were non-Hispanic other, 11% were Hispanic, and 68% were non-Hispanic Whites. For this sample of technology users, the usage of digital health management included online exercise programs (16%), online wellness programs or health monitoring programs (7%), searching for medical and health information online (43%), digital devices to monitor health (31%), and physical activity-based video game such as Wii Fit (7%). Over 88% of the sample have used at least one of these formats to monitor their health. Results from regression models suggested that the use of any digital health management tools was related to fewer depressive symptoms and better self-reported health. Findings from this study provide insight into how digital health management can protect older adults from poor subjective well-being in later life.

The impact of the send-down experience on the health of elderly Chinese women: Evidence from the China family panel studies

From a life course perspective, a “major social change event” experienced by individuals in early life will affect their health in adulthood. Here we select a group of elderly women whose health is often disadvantaged and use data from the China Family Panel Studies as the sample. Our fuzzy regression discontinuity results show that experiencing the “send-down” experience increased the probability of elderly women suffering from chronic diseases by 6.9% and reduced their mental health by 1.6%. Additionally, the “send-down” experience affects women's health in old age by influencing their socioeconomic status and subjective well-being in later life. Our results provide a reference for the future optimization of the Chinese government and our society's health security system.

Marital Strain and Support and Subjective Well-Being in Later Life: Ascribing a Role to Childhood Adversity.

Objectives: We integrate the life course perspective with the stress-process model to offer a framework for how childhood conditions moderate the relationship between marital support/strain and subjective well-being in older adulthood for men and women. Methods: Drawing on longitudinal data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), we use a series of lagged dependent-variable models and stratify the sample by gender. Results: Our results suggest that the benefits associated with greater marital support are stronger for those that did not live with both parents in childhood for men. Women raised in families that experienced financial hardship reported lower subjective well-being in the context of marital strain. Conclusion: Adverse experiences in childhood can be scarring or foster resilience related to well-being in the context of strained or supportive marriages.

Geographical life-space and subjective wellbeing in later life.

Geographical life-space is an important factor to consider when studying subjective wellbeing of older adults. The purpose of this article is twofold: to provide an in-depth understanding of 1) the geographical life-spaces in which the lives of older adults take place and 2) the relation between life-space and experienced levels of subjective wellbeing. Seventy-six older adults (aged 65 and older) participated in our qualitative study. We applied a qualitative research approach, through combining indepth-interviews with visual life-space diagrams. Our findings show that most older adults continue to experience a high level of subjective wellbeing, regardless of the extent of their life-space. We conclude that the possibility to fulfill one's needs, even in a restricted life-space, is more conducive to maintaining subjective wellbeing than the extent of life-space itself.

Negative old-age life events and well-being in later life: the moderating and mediating role of loneliness

Although older adults often experience negative life events or loss experiences, they rarely experience large decreases in their quality of life or well-being. Emotionally satisfying relationships in older adults may serve as a protective factor that reduces the impact of negative events in decreasing well-being. The availability of these close social contacts is essential, and their potential for alleviating feelings of loneliness after negative events could have an important role in promoting well-being. The aim of this study was to test the hypothetical moderation and mediation effects of social and emotional loneliness on the occurrence of negative old-age life events and well-being in later life. This was a cross-sectional survey conducted as part of the Detection, Support and Care for older people - Prevention and Empowerment research project (2015-2018). Participants were community-dwelling older adults in Flanders (Belgium). The sample composed of 770 participants aged 60 years and over. Participant demographics, social and emotional loneliness, and subjective well-being were measured. Moderation and mediation analyses were performed using the regression-based approach as conducted by Hayes and Rockwood (2017). Results indicated that a low degree of (social) loneliness is a protective, moderating factor and (emotional) loneliness is a mediating factor on the effects of negative life events on well-being in later life. Findings highlight the importance of emotionally and socially satisfying social contacts in order to maintain positive subjective well-being in later life when negative life events may occur.

Gender-related differences in the relationship between social and activity participation and health and subjective well-being in later life.

A growing body of work suggests that social and activity participation (SAP) may contribute to health and well-being. Studies examining the effects of these activities largely focused on healthy older adults and older adults with more resources, not on frail older adults. On the latter, there is a lack of information about which activities contribute most and whether their effects vary between men and women given the gender-differentiated social roles. To address these gaps we extracted longitudinal data from the D-SCOPE frailty program for 380 participants aged 60 years or older residing in Belgium. Structural equation models tested the relationships between six levels of SAP based on a taxonomy of social activities (Levasseur et al., 2010) - from level 1 (for oneself) to level 6 (for others) - on longitudinal changes in physical and mental deterioration, well-being, and gender differences within these relationships. Results first show that older adults at risk of frailty benefit longitudinally from participating in activities in terms of their physical deterioration and well-being. Second, socially oriented activities were significantly associated with lower levels of physical deterioration and higher levels of subjective well-being (SWB), and volunteering with higher levels of SWB. Heterogeneity of activities, regardless of level on the taxonomy of social activities, seems to benefit SWB and counteract physical deterioration. Third, gender differences were confirmed by two activities for women (alone, task-oriented) and three activities for men (alone, being with others, task-oriented e.g. associational membership). Results imply that the activity itself may play a more important role than the nature of social involvement and social interaction in relation to health and wellbeing.

The Dynamics of Control: Investigating the Effect of Control Diversity on Subjective Well-Being in Later Life

Recent advancements in research on control beliefs have enabled the assessment of inter-individual differences in its intra-individual variability via a measure of control diversity. However, past research has focused on control diversity in relation to daily stressors. Among a sample of prosocial exemplars, this experience sampling study investigates control diversity across general daily activities and explores its relationship with subjective well-being. Participants indicated the activity they were primarily involved in, the extent to which they felt in control over the situation, and levels of positive and negative affect each time they were signaled; satisfaction with life was measured using a one-time survey at the end of the study. Results from multilevel structural equation modeling suggested that control diversity did not significantly predict positive or negative affect, or satisfaction with life. The study points toward the lack of association between control diversity and subjective well-being and highlights future directions for research.

Aging: well being and development in elderly

The aim of the present study is to introduce the well- being and aging development during old age. In old age peoples are not more productive as in early stage of life. They need others support for doing some activities. Sometimes they feel stressed and depressed about that. The current study indicated that physical condition of old age person, sociodemographic factors, social network characteristics, and activity level all seem to affect subjective well-being in later life. In the present study discuss several different forms of well-being that play a vital role in the lives of elderly and it helps them to live longer and safer.

The Effect of Income on Subjective Well-Being in Later Life: A Case Study of a Government Pension in South Korea

Objectives. Despite keen interest among scholars and policy makers, little is known about whether income affects subjective well-being (SWB) in later life, a notoriously difficult question to answer, given the empirical challenge of isolating the effect of income from correlated influences and the possibility of reverse causality. This paper examines the effects of the 2008 introduction of the Basic Old-Age Pension, a noncontributory old-age pension in Korea, on older adults’ life satisfaction. Methods. This research analyses the 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2011 waves of the Korean Retirement and Income Study and utilizes a difference-in-difference quasi-experimental design. Results. Both the anticipation of the pension in 2007 and its actual provision in 2009 increased older adults’ life satisfaction. However, evidence of the effect in 2011 was much weaker. Discussion. The additional income from the pension had a positive impact on life satisfaction in later life, suggesting that countries pursuing rapid industrialization should pay careful attention to how the benefits from growth are distributed across generations. However, the effect of a government pension might be short-lived, making it less attractive to governments whose goal is to raise long-term SWB.

Intergenerational social mobility and subjective wellbeing in later life

Whereas a great deal of literature has been devoted to investigating the link between intergenerational social mobility and health, the few studies that have examined the association between social mobility and life satisfaction have produced conflicting findings. In the present study, we attempt to rectify several shortcomings common to previous work by examining the association between intergenerational social mobility and both life satisfaction and self-rated health as measured in later-life. Our sample consisted of individuals born in Scotland in 1936, who took part in the Scottish Mental Survey 1947 and were subsequently followed-up into later-life. Regression analyses demonstrated that satisfaction with life at age 78 was not significantly predicted by childhood or adulthood socioeconomic status, or by the amount of social mobility experienced from parental occupational social class. In contrast, self-rated health at age 78 was significantly predicted by adult socioeconomic status and by education, but not by social mobility from parental occupational social class. These results suggest that efforts to promote upwards social mobility may not result in better subjective wellbeing, despite the apparent benefits for health.

Internet use and well-being in later life: a functional approach

ABSTRACTObjectives: This study aimed at exploring the Internet's role in supporting subjective well-being in later life by applying a functional approach, namely, simultaneously but separately examining each of the principal online functions common among older adults (interpersonal communication, information, task performance and leisure). Methods: Data were collected online from 306 Internet users aged 50 years and over. Subjective well-being was measured according to indicators of depression and life satisfaction. Results: Interpersonal communication and information seeking were the most commonly used Internet functions, followed by task performance; use for leisure and recreation was significantly less prevalent. All four online functions were positively correlated with life satisfaction, and task performance and leisure were negatively correlated with depression. After controlling for sociodemographic variables, only leisure associated significantly with the well-being measures. Discussion: These findings revealed a paradoxical situation in which the most beneficial use of the Internet is the least popular.

Oral Health-A Neglected Aspect of Subjective Well-Being in Later Life.

ObjectivesThis study examined whether oral health is a neglected aspect of subjective well-being (SWB) among older adults. The key research question was whether deterioration in oral health among dentate older adults living in England was associated with decreases in SWB, using measures of eudemonic, evaluative, and affective dimensions of well-being.MethodsThis secondary analysis used data from the third (2006–2007) and fifth (2010–2011) waves of respondents aged 50 and older from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). We fitted multivariable regression models to examine the effects of changes in oral impacts on daily life and edentulism (complete tooth loss) on SWB (quality of life, life satisfaction, and depressive symptomatology).ResultsA worsening in both oral health measures was associated with an increase in depressive symptoms even after adjusting for time-varying confounders including declining health, activities of daily living, and reduced social support. Becoming edentate was also associated with decreases in quality of life and life satisfaction.DiscussionA deterioration in oral health and oral health–related quality of life increases the risk of depressive symptoms among older adults and highlights the importance of oral health as a determinant of subjective well-being in later life.

Service interactions and subjective well-being in later life

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examines the positive and negative impact of service provider experiences on the process of identity adjustment and how they can lead to subjective well-being (SWB). Due to increased life expectancies, people are experiencing major life events during aging (e.g. death of a spouse, serious disease and major health problems), events that lead to identity redefinition. Design/methodology/approach – To gain more insight into this issue, a qualitative study was carried out that involved 37 in-depth interviews conducted with aging individuals who had experienced a major life event such as retirement and/or death of spouse. To apprehend the diversity of consumption situations, the authors investigated daily consumption, hedonic consumption and imposed services (e.g. health and funeral services) due to life events. Findings – The findings suggest that service providers influence consumer’s SWB as regards relationships, growth and purpose in life, mastery and independence and self-acceptance. Originality/value – The contribution indicates that services play a role in maintaining and/or creating SWB. By segmentation through social roles and facilitating access to services, providers must take into account the processes of normalcy and abandonment (déprise) among aging consumers in life transitions. They must also ensure that they support consumers with the lowest human capital (skills, level of education, income and social class).