Sex differences in life satisfaction among the elderly

Gender’s Effect on the Relationships Linking Older Americans’ Resources and Financial Satisfaction

This article tests the assumptions that the effect of resources on the financial satisfaction of older Americans is consistent (1) for different measures of income and wealth and (2) for men and women. Data are from a weighted subsample of those 65 and older from Waves I (1986) and II (1989) of the Americans’ Changing Lives Panel Study. Multivariate analyses contradict both assumptions with the following statistically significant findings: (1) Financial satisfaction in 1986 and not receiving food stamps are stronger predictors of financial satisfaction for men, whereas having interest and retirement/pension incomes are more important for women; and (2) a lowered number of chronic ailments is more important for women, whereas having a surviving spouse is more important for men. Findings support both George’s ideas of “control” and “illusion of control” and Moen’s ideas about gender-specific patterns of status transitions.

Social status, physical, mental health, well-being and self evaluation of elderly in China

This study examined self perceived physical and mental health, general well-being, social status and self evaluation among a group of Chinese elderly (N=240, age range 65-94) who visited a geriatric outpatient clinic in Beijing, People's Republic of China. The instrument measured five areas of interest: (1) disease patterns; (2) perceived physical and mental health; (3) general well-being; (4) social-economic status and (5) self evaluation. The results showed that the illiterate elderly reported lower self-evaluation scores than all other groups (p<0.05). In general, men gave themselves higher selfevaluation scores than women (p<0.05). The blue-collar group had lower general wellbeing scores (p<0.05) than the other occupational groups. These findings were discussed within social, cultural, political and historical contexts in China.

Money and happiness: does age make a difference?

Although the factors that influence people's perception of happiness have long been a focus for scholars, research to date has not offered conclusive findings on the relationships between income, age and happiness. This study examined the relationship between money and happiness across age groups. Analysing data from United States General Social Surveys from 1972 to 2006, this study finds that even after controlling for all the major socio-demographic variables, income (whether household income or personal equivalised income) had a significant positive association with happiness for young and middle-age adults, but it was not the same case with older adults. After controlling for the major socio-demographic variables, there was no evidence of a significant relationship between income (whichever definition) and happiness for older adults. The results also showed that the effect of household income on happiness was significantly smaller for older adults than for young or middle-age adults in the model controlling for major socio-demographic variables. The relationship between household income and happiness no longer differed significantly across age groups after social comparison variables were included. The relationship between equivalised income and happiness did not vary significantly by age group after controlling for the major socio-demographic variables.

Life Satisfaction of Chinese Elderly Immigrants in Calgary

Cet article explore la satisfaction de la vie de 81 personnes âgées, sélectionnées au hasard (58 femmes et 23 hommes; âge moyen 76), d'origine chinoise et provenant de l'ouest du Canada. La variable dépendante, la satisfaction de la vie, a été mesurée en utilisant le «Life Satisfaction Index-A (LSI-A)» et une mesure globale à une seule question. Les résultats ont indiqué que la plupart des personnes âgées, immigrants d'origine chinoise faisant partie de cette étude, étaient plutôt satisfaites de leur vie et ont obtenu des résultats élevés en utilisant la mesure LSI-A. Niveau d'activité, santé psychologique, supports sociaux, amour propre, et le sens d'être en charge d'eux-mêmes étaient significativement associés avec les deux mesures de satisfaction. L'analyse de regression multiple révèle que la santé psychologique, le soutien social et le sens d'être en charge d'eux-mêmes étaient les meilleurs prédicteurs. Concernant la satisfaction de la vie, tant pour hommes que pour les femmes, il n'y avait pour ainsi dire aucune différence. D'autres analyses ont examinés les corrélate de la satisfaction de la vie des répondants des deux sexes. Les moyens d'améliorer la satisfaction de la vie de cette minorité ethnique sont le point d'intérêt de la discussion.

The effect of the traditional living arrangement, anpakkori, on depressive symptoms in elderly people residing on jeju island

OBJECTIVE

We examined the effect of anpakkori, a traditional living arrangement, on depression among elderly people on Jeju Island in Korea.

METHODS

A total of 593 subjects were assessed using a sociodemographic questionnaire developed by the authors, the Korean version of Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS), the Social Support Scale, and the Activities of Daily Living/Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scales (ADL/IADL). Subjects were classified into three groups: those residing with their adult children, those living individually, and those living in the traditional Jeju anpakkori living arrangement.

RESULTS

The prevalence of depression in this study was 53.1%, and the traditional Jeju living arrangement, anpakkori, was significantly correlated with the presence of depressive symptoms (p=0.005)[odds ratio (OR)=1.88, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.16-3.06].

CONCLUSION

Living in the traditional Jeju way may not be as good for establishing family solidarity as is living with adult children. Moreover, elderly individuals prone to depression tended to live in this anpakkori living arrangement. Careful psychological and social support systems that might prevent the development of depressive symptoms should be provided for those who live in anpakkori living arrangements.

Quality of life and gender identity in Parkinson’s disease

We examined the correlation between gender identity (perception of masculinity or femininity) and quality of life (QoL) of 124 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients without dementia (69 men, 55 women, mean age 65.8+/-10.2 years, mean disease duration 8.5+/-5.8 years, mean Hoehn and Yahr [H&Y] stage 2.7+/-0.8). All patients underwent clinical examinations and completed the PDQ-39 and the quality of sexual life questionnaire. Their masculine or feminine stereotypes were determined by the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) modified by Dior. QoL was significantly correlated with disease duration (r=0.262, p<0.01), H&Y staging (r=0.330, p<0.001) and disease severity (UPDRS) (r=0.432, p<0.001). The QoL of androgynous men and women (i.e., with strong feminine and masculine characteristics) was significantly (p<0.05) better than the other gender groups. A significant interaction was found between the sexes to gender identity (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Androgynous PD patients cope better with their disease in terms of QoL parameters, especially androgynous women.

Correlates of financial satisfaction

The objectives of this study are to 1) assess the effects of major correlates of global subjective well-being on financial satisfaction, and 2) use empirical data to present the consequences of violating basic regression assumptions. Analyzing data from the General Social Surveys, 1972-1996 (Davis & Smith, 1996a) this study found that among Americans age forty-five and above, most of the major correlates of global subjective well-being show similar effects on financial satisfaction. The study's findings confirm a nonlinear effect of income on financial satisfaction. Comparing results from different analytical methods, this study also alerts researchers to the importance of taking into account the level of measurements of study variables, which have tended to be overlooked by previous subjective well-being research.

Correlates of subjective health in older adults: a meta-analysis

Age-associated changes of subjective health and associations of subjective health with physical health, functional health, and mental health were meta-analyzed in older adults (M age > 60 years). An age-associated decline of subjective health, which was stronger in old-old samples than in young-old samples, was found. Subjective health was correlated with the indicators of objective health, but the association with physical health was stronger than with functional health. Correlations of subjective health with physical health and functional health were lower in the old-old than in the young-old samples, whereas associations of subjective health with mental health were stronger in older samples. Furthermore, the size of the association between subjective and objective health varied by the method of assessment of objective health, showing highest associations with symptom checklists and results of medical examinations due to strict protocols.

Measurement of subjective quality of life of elders

There are two aims in this article, to define subjective quality of life and to suggest a way to standardize its measurement to enable comparisons to be made across studies. One of the unresolved issues in gerontological research has concerned the definition and measurement of quality of life (Lawton, 1991). This article focuses on subjective well-being, one of the four components proposed by Lawton (1991). There seems to be a growing consensus that most scales of well-being have at least two concepts in common, positive and negative affect. To test this hypothesis, two well-being scales, the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale (Lawton, 1975) and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (Radloff, 1977), were subjected to confirmatory factor analyses, using data on 1717 participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing aged between 70 and 103 years. Each scale was shown to contain factors of positive and negative affect. The article concludes with a suggestion that the measurement of quality of life in elders should include, at a minimum, scales of positive and negative affect as well as other measures relevant to the aspect of quality of life under consideration.

Changes in life satisfaction over a two and a half year period among very elderly people living in London

Research evidence concerning the contributions of social networks and support to the subjective wellbeing (i.e. life satisfaction) of older persons is not consistent. This paper reports the results of an investigation of the effects life satisfaction at baseline, social network type and health status, on life satisfaction at follow-up at two and a half years later among people ages 85+ living in the East end of London. The percentage of the total variation in overall life satisfaction which was explained by the model was 47%. Baseline life satisfaction score explained most of this (43%), and the remaining variation was explained largely by functional status and age. Previous analyses of baseline life satisfaction reported that health and functional status had accounted for most of the variation between groups, far more than social network and support variables.

A flaw in gerontological assessment: the weak relationship of elderly superficial life satisfaction to deep psychological well-being

This study assessed the degree of relationship between superficial and deep psychological adjustment among elderly individuals. Eighty-six middle-class, Anglo persons averaging seventy-six years of age participated. Roughly one-half of the sample were "independent living," with the other half "congregate apartment dwelling." A similarly equal representation of both sexes was achieved. Superficial psychological well-being was measured using Cantril's Self-Anchoring Scale for life satisfaction, while deep psychological well-being was measured using portions of the Eriksonian-based Measures of Psychosocial Development. It was hypothesized that no more than a moderate correlation (.50) would be found to exist between shallow and deep psychological adjustment. This hypothesis was confirmed, suggesting that gerontologists need to cease relying on superficial psychological measures for elderly assessment, and implement more depth-oriented tests. It is argued that failure to do this promulgates an unfortunate tradition of shallow, inaccurate psychological measurement within gerontology.

Subjective well-being and its domains across different age groups: an Israeli sample

Subjective well-being (SWB) across the life span was studied in a representative Israeli sample by a national survey of 1183 subjects, ranging from 18 to 80 years of age. Subjects were given "life scales", on which they rated their SWB in their present life, as well as their satisfaction regarding health, relations with friends, family, work, economic status, sense of personal achievement, and sense of control. The results indicate that: (a) SWB is negatively correlated with chronological age; (b) the relative strength of most of SWB domains changes in the different age groups; (c) SWB is best explained by different sets of domains in different age groups; and (d) economic status is the strongest domain, accounting for SWB in 6 out of 8 age groups. Explanations for these results confronted the developmental view of changing tasks across the life span vs cohort-based differences between the age groups. The decreasing number of domains that account for SWB variance with progressing age, as well as some unexpected findings with regard to the oldest age group (71-80) are also discussed.

Career identification and women's attitudes toward retirement

This study seeks to heighten understanding of the retirement process as experienced by women through an examination of working women's attitudes toward retirement. The subjects for this study were 201 female teachers employed in the public school system in a central Oklahoma district. The survey instrument used was a questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic and work-related variables. The findings indicate that overall, females with stronger work identities have significantly more negative attitudes toward retirement than those with weaker work identities; this difference remains significant when controls are introduced for years of teaching experience, expected age of retirement, and attitude toward work. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Associations with life satisfaction among very elderly people living in a deprived part of inner London

In the present study 662 people, aged 85 and over, living at home in a socially deprived part of the east end of London were interviewed in order to ascertain their life circumstances, emotional well-being, mental and physical health status. The aim of the analyses presented here was to determine the impact of social networks and support, functional status and reported morbidity on life satisfaction. Multiple regression analysis showed that physical health status was a stronger predictor of emotional well-being in relation to life satisfaction than social network characteristics. The uniqueness of the study lies in its concentration on a very elderly age group, predominantly in the lower socio-economic classes.

Indoor and outdoor activities of aged women and men as related to depression and well-being

This article examines the relations between reported level of activity and measures of affect in old people exploring possible sex differences. It was hypothesized that these relations are mediated by the satisfaction from the specific activity. The sample consisted of fifty-four women and forty-five men, ranging in age from sixty to eighty, functioning normally in the community. A questionnaire assessed participants' levels of indoor/outdoor activities. Participants rated their satisfaction for each of these activities. Negative affect was measured by Zung's Self-Rating Depression Scale, and positive affect was measured by Bradburn's Well-Being (Affect-Balance) Scale. For male respondents, results showed significant negative correlations between depression and both activities, and significant positive correlations with respect to well-being. Significant positive correlation was obtained only between well-being and outdoor activity for female respondents. When satisfaction from the specific activity was controlled for, only two correlations remained significant in the male participants, lending partial support to the hypothesis. A multiple regression analysis revealed reported levels of activity could predict both depression and well-being for men much better than for women, whereas satisfaction from activity could do that much better for women than for men. Discussion deals with the sex differences regarding the meaning of activity in old age and its implications for affect. The differentiation between kinds of activity as well as measures of affect is also referenced.

A dyadic approach to predicting well-being in later life

This study compares the effects of a number of variables previously found to be important predictors of well-being such as income, health, and social interaction on one dimension of well-being, happiness, at pre- and postretirement for husbands and wives. In contrast to some of the research that has compared men and women, the present research found that husbands and wives have different predictors of happiness. A central finding of this research is that including spouse's characteristics (for example, health and happiness) increases the ability to predict the happiness of the respondent, suggesting that a dyadic approach has utility.

Life-span differences in life satisfaction, self-concept, and locus of control

The literature on age differences in life satisfaction, self-concept, and locus of control reveals a variety of conflicting findings. Nehrke et al. reported a study of elderly institutionalized males that attempted to control for some of the possible sources of variability. The present study extended this effort to a noninstitutionalized life-span sample of males and females in six age groups (fourteen to ninety-four). The age main effect was significant for the locus of control measure. For self-concept, the age and sex main effects were significant. For life satisfaction, the age and sex main effects and their interaction were significant. Generally, lower levels of self-concept and life satisfaction and a more external orientation characterized adolescents and young adults while, with notable exceptions, the remaining age samples were more positive in self-concept and life satisfaction and were more internally controlled. Although the three dependent measures were significantly correlated for the total sample, the correlations involving locus of control were only moderate. The data suggest that at least the life satisfaction and self-concept measures may be viable tools to assess the psychological quality of one's life, and that reliable age differences in well-being can be demonstrated if moderating variables are controlled experimentally or statistically.

Social integration, leisure activity, and life satisfaction in older adults: activity theory revisited

The relative contributions of objective integration, subjective integration, and total leisure activity to the life satisfaction of older adults are examined. A random sample of 400 persons ages forty through eighty-nine residing in a demographically typical midwestern city were interviewed by phone. Results show that Objective Integration does not contribute incrementally to Life Satisfaction except among males under age sixty-five. Subjective Integration, on the other hand, contributes significantly to Life Satisfaction of males and females under and over age sixty-five. Even when demographic variables, Objective Integration, and Subjective Integration are taken into account statistically, Total Leisure Activity contributes significantly to Life Satisfaction in all groups examined.

The life satisfaction index--well-being: its internal reliability and factorial composition

The internal consistency and factorial composition of the eight-item Life Satisfaction Index--Well-being, adapted for use with elderly British samples, were examined. Cross-validation was carried out with a randomly drawn community sample of 155 rural people aged 65-89 years. The scale was found to have acceptable internal reliability, but may require modification.

"Happy are they who are happy . . ." a test between two causal models of relationships between happiness and its correlates

The intention of the study was to test between two causal models of relationships between happiness and five of its correlates (i.e., housing satisfaction, financial satisfaction, perceived health, locus of control, and activity level). In Model 1, happiness was identified as a propensity variable that is a source of influence on the lower order correlates. Model 2 is a traditional formulation whereby levels of happiness are determined by its correlates. The models were tested by causal modeling procedures, using 18-month longitudinal data from 408 elderly subjects. The findings support Model 1 over Model 2 for 17/18 predictions that differentiated the models. The status of happiness as a trait was discussed with reference to: the type of items included in the happiness scale; and relationships with variables not included in the research.

Health and subjective well-being: a replicated secondary data analysis

The purposes of this article are to use replicated secondary data analysis to summarize information about the relationship between health and subjective well-being and to assess the strengths and weaknesses of replicated secondary data analysis as a mode of research synthesis. The findings from thirty-seven replications in seven surveys suggest a moderate and robust relationship between self-rated health and subjective well-being. Physician-assessed health, in contrast, exhibits weaker and less robust associations with subjective well-being. Further, the relationship between health and subjective well-being is conditioned by age and is stronger for measures of negative than positive affect. The principal advantages of replicated secondary data analysis, vis-a-vis other modes of research synthesis, are cost-effectiveness, increased ability to apply multivariate statistical techniques, and greater control and flexibility for the investigator. We suggest, nonetheless, that different modes of research synthesis can best be used for different purposes.

Sex differences in patterns of self-reported psychopathology in the married elderly

Administered to 106 married male and female residents of a retirement community the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) form of the SCL-90. Although no difference was found between males and females on an overall index of psychological distress, a discriminant function analysis indicated that three (Anxiety, Interpersonal Sensitivity, and Paranoid Ideation) of the nine scales provided maximum separation of the two groups. Results supported the conclusion that with marital status, education, and health controlled, male and female elderly Ss show distinct patterns of distress.