Longitudinal associations between formal volunteering and well-being among retired older people: follow-up results from a randomized controlled trial

Civic Activities and Mental Health in Later Life: The Moderating Role of Generative Concerns

This study examined the moderating mechanisms of generative concerns (perception of making contributions to others) between generative civic activities and mental health among middle-aged and older adults. A total of 1,109 community-dwelling adults aged over 45 were recruited through an online survey. Generative civic activities (political participation and volunteering), generative concerns (the Loyola Generativity Scale), and two outcomes of mental health (depressive symptoms and mental wellbeing) were measured. Linear regression models and simple slope analyses were used to probe the moderating effects of generative concerns, stratified by age (45-64 years and 65+). Generative activities, but not concerns, were associated with lower depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults. Generative concerns and activities were related to better mental wellbeing among middle-aged adults. Generative concerns moderated the associations between civic activities and depressive symptoms. Those with higher generative concerns but lower civic activities had higher depression scores. Conversely, a stronger reduction in depressive symptoms by engaging in civic activities was found only when individuals had greater concerns. No moderating effect was found on mental wellbeing. The positive effect of civic engagement on reducing depressive symptoms depends on generative concerns, particularly among older people and those with greater concerns. Bridging the gap between perceived generative concerns and actual civic actions may improve later-life mental health.

Identifying predictors of psychological well-being among volunteer mentors in Big Brothers Big Sisters

Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) facilitates mentoring relationships between youth and volunteer mentors. Although research has examined outcomes for youth in BBBS, relatively less investigation has been undertaken for volunteer outcomes. This study explored factors associated with changes in psychological well-being among BBBS volunteer mentors. Participants included 593 mentors (Mage = 31) surveyed at study baseline and 15-month follow-up. A classification and regression decision tree approach was used to predict residualized change in psychological well-being from study baseline with match length included as the first split variable, and demographic, individual, and relationship variables included as candidate predictors. Analyses indicated that mentors with longer relationships (>4.5 months) reported more positive change in psychological well-being compared with mentors with shorter relationships. Perceived quality of program supervision was a further predictor within both groups of volunteers. Findings suggest that longer relationships and greater program support may contribute to mentor well-being.

Volunteering and political participation are differentially associated with eudaimonic and social well-being across age groups and European countries

Voluntary participation is thought to promote the well-being of engaged individuals, especially in old age, but prior evidence on this link is mixed. In the present studies, we used the cross-sectional data from Round 6 (2012) of the European Social Survey (ESS) to investigate the variation in the associations between voluntary participation and eudaimonic (e.g., sense of direction) and social (e.g., perceived social support) well-being across types of participation (nonpolitical volunteering vs. political participation), age groups, and European countries. Study 1 addressed individual-level associations and age differences therein (preregistered at https://osf.io/2p9sz and https://osf.io/6twqe). Two-level multiple regression with an extensive set of control variables showed that at the within-country level, the associations between voluntary participation and well-being indicators were small on average. Nonpolitical volunteering had significantly more positive effects than did political participation, whereas few significant age differences emerged. Study 2 focused on the country-level variables that might explain the substantial cross-national variation in the main effects of voluntary participation (preregistered at https://osf.io/mq3dx). Only GDP per capita was a significant moderator at the country level: The associations of nonpolitical volunteering with eudaimonic well-being were more positive in the European countries with lower GDP. Other country-level variables (Gini coefficient, social welfare spending, and democracy indices) yielded no consistent moderation effects. Study 3 considered potential country-level explanations for the substantial cross-national variation in whether younger or older adults appeared to benefit more (preregistered at https://osf.io/7ks45). None of the country-level variables considered (effective retirement age in men, life expectancy at 65, average age of members of the national parliament and cabinet, and youth unemployment rate) could account for this variation. We conclude that, given the large cross-national variation in the effects of voluntary participation on well-being and in age differences therein, more attention to national specifics is warranted.

Friendly Residential Environments and Subjective Well-Being in Older People with and without Help Needs

Previous studies have shown that friendly environments are associated with well-being and higher quality of life in older people. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between friendly environments and subjective well-being by segmenting the population according to the need for help in performing activities of daily living (ADLs) in a representative sample of people over 55 years of age in the Basque Country (Spain) (n = 2760). To determine the predictive power of friendliness on subjective well-being, two separate linear regression models were obtained according to the need for help in ADLs. The results obtained show a greater explanatory power of the model in the case of people who required help. However, in the case of people who do not need help, subjective health had a greater weight in the predictions. This paper's findings support the greater importance of the characteristics of the physical and social environment, as people's functional status worsens, with friendliness being an explanatory factor for people's well-being as they age and their dependency increases.

What makes life purposeful? Identifying the antecedents of a sense of purpose in life using a lagged exposure-wide approach

Aims

Prior research documents strong associations between an increased sense of purpose in life and improved health and well-being outcomes. However, less is known about candidate antecedents that lead to more purpose among older adults.

Methods

We used data from 13,771 participants in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) — a diverse, national panel study of adults aged >50 in the United States, to evaluate a large number of candidate predictors of purpose. Specifically, using linear regression with a lagged exposure-wide approach, we evaluated if changes in 61 predictors spanning physical health, health behaviors, and psychosocial well-being (between t₀;2006/2008 and t₁;2010/2012) were associated with purpose four years later (t₂;2014/2016) after adjustment for a rich set of baseline covariates.

Results

Some health behaviors (e.g., physical activity ≥1x/week [β = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.09, 0.19]), physical health conditions (e.g., stroke [β = −0.25, 95% CI: −0.40, −0.10]), and psychosocial factors (e.g., depression [β = −0.21, 95% CI: −0.27, −0.15]) were associated with subsequent purpose four years later. However, there was little evidence that other health behaviors, physical health conditions, and psychosocial factors such as smoking, drinking, or financial strain, were associated with subsequent purpose.

Conclusions

Several of our candidate predictors such as volunteering, time with friends, and physical activity may be important targets for interventions and policies aiming to increase purpose among older adults. However, some effect sizes were modest and contrast with prior work on younger populations, suggesting purpose may be more easily formed earlier in life.

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Factors that lead to increased purpose in life in older adults remain unclear.

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We leveraged a large and prospective cohort of US adults aged >50.

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We evaluated associations between 61 predictors and subsequent purpose in life.

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Some health/well-being factors were associated with purpose in life 4 years later, but not others.

Factors Related to Life Satisfaction of Older Adults at Home: A Focus on Residential Conditions

This study examined which residential conditions increase older adults’ life satisfaction at home. We used data from 8903 participants over 65 years old who did not need help in their daily lives from a 2020 survey of older adults conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, Pearson correlation analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression with weights. The final model explained 34.2% of life satisfaction in old age. Residential conditions that increased life satisfaction the most in old age were the community environment (β = 0.16, p < 0.001) and satisfaction with the house (β = 0.15, p < 0.001). Other conditions that significantly affected life satisfaction were safety (β = 0.08, p < 0.001), interaction with neighbors (β = 0.08, p < 0.001), distance from children or relatives (β = 0.08, p < 0.001), frequency and route of public transportation (β = 0.05, p < 0.001), and abundance and distance of green spaces (β = 0.02, p = 0.031). Housing welfare policies should consider these results to increase life satisfaction for an increasingly aging population. Moreover, these data can be used to design age-friendly community environments.

Relationships between Volunteering, Neighbourhood Deprivation and Mental Wellbeing across Four British Birth Cohorts: Evidence from 10 Years of the UK Household Longitudinal Study

Volunteering is associated with greater mental, physical and social wellbeing. However, less is known about whether the health benefits of volunteering vary with two sets of factors known to shape population health and health-related behaviours: (1) age and birth cohort, and (2) place of residence. This study examined how these factors influence the relationship between volunteering and self-reported mental health using five waves of data from Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) enriched with information on neighbourhood deprivation (Index of Multiple Deprivation 2015). Two self-reported mental health and wellbeing outcomes were examined: mental distress (GHQ-12) and health-related quality of life (SF-12). The sample was stratified by cohort: pre-1945 (born before 1945), Baby Boomers (born 1945–1964), Gen X (born 1965–1979), and Millennials (born from 1980). Fixed-effects regressions revealed that volunteering was associated with reduced levels of mental distress and greater levels of health-related quality of life in older generations, but not amongst younger generations. No moderating effect of area deprivation was found. This study suggests that generational social attitudes and changes in how volunteering is portrayed and delivered could influence not only whether people volunteer, but also whether doing so bolsters health.

Active Aging through Volunteerism: A Longitudinal Assessment of Perceived Neighborhood Safety as a Predictor among Older Adults, 2008-2018

Volunteering can play an important role in active aging. The resource theory of volunteering posits that volunteerism depends on human, social, and cultural capital. Benefits of volunteering have been documented at the micro-, meso-, and macrolevels, positively affecting individual older people as well as their local communities and society at large. Taking a process-oriented theoretical approach, this study focused on the mesolevel factor of the environment with the purpose of determining the relationship between perceived neighborhood safety and volunteerism over the course of a decade and the extent to which this relationship differs by gender and race. Longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study in the United States of America between 2008 and 2018 were used (N = 72,319 adults 60 years and older). Generalized estimating equations (GEE) with robust standard errors were employed while controlling for a number of covariates. A third of the sample volunteered in the past year (33%). The probability of volunteering among older adults who rated their perceived neighborhood safety as excellent was greater compared with those who rated their perceived neighborhood safety as fair/poor after controlling for all other model covariates (ME: 0.03, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.05). Among males rating their perceived neighborhood safety as excellent, the probability of volunteering was higher (ME: 0.04, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.07). Among females, the probability of volunteering was higher among those who perceived their neighborhood safety to be excellent (ME: 0.03, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.05) or very good (ME: 0.02, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.04). White respondents who rated their neighborhood safety as excellent (ME: 0.05, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.07) or very good (ME: 0.04, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.06) had a higher probability of volunteerism. Results were not significant among Black respondents and those who described their race as “other.” This study's process-oriented theoretical approach indicates that initiatives aimed at improving neighborhood safety and older adults' perceptions of neighborhood safety could increase social capital and lead older adults to engage in more volunteering, providing benefits at micro-, meso-, and macrolevels—to older individuals, their local communities, and society at large.