Life satisfaction in older people

Life Satisfaction Trajectories and Associated Factors in Middle-Aged and Older Mexican Adults

BACKGROUND

Given the importance of understanding psychosocial well-being as part of aging characteristics and processes, the present study aimed to describe life satisfaction among middle-aged and older adults in Mexico, according to sociodemographic, economic, psychosocial, and health factors.

METHODS

Data were obtained from the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), a longitudinal, nationally representative survey of adults aged 50 years and older. Data from the 2012, 2015, and 2018 waves were analyzed for this study. Life satisfaction in the MHAS is assessed using the Spanish version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). For the construction of the trajectories over six years of follow-up, quartiles of the scale were calculated for each wave. Multinomial regression models were then estimated to determine significant factors associated with each trajectory.

RESULTS

A total of 8,376 individuals aged 50 years and older met our study criteria for complete data in the three follow-up waves. Four life satisfaction trajectories were identified over six years of follow-up: high-constant, high-low, low-high, and low-constant. Subjective or psychosocial characteristics such as depressive symptoms, self-reported health, and functional ability were highly significant factors associated with life satisfaction trajectories, while multimorbidity was not significant.

CONCLUSIONS

This research contributes to the understanding of psychosocial well-being in Mexican older adults by exploring life satisfaction trajectories and their associated factors. The study shows that psychosocial and economic factors, along with functional abilities, have a much greater impact on life satisfaction, beyond the presence of comorbidity.

The benefits of leisure activities on healthy life expectancy for older people with diabetes

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to examine whether leisure activities can help reduce years lived with disability and increase healthy life expectancy of diabetics aged 50 years and above.

METHODS

Analysis was based on five waves of follow-up survey data (Taiwan Longitudinal Study of Aging, TLSA) from 1996 to 2011. A total of 5131 participants aged 50 years and above in 1996 were included in the analysis, and gender, leisure activity participation, and diabetes mellitus were used as primary variables to examine the variation trend in health status in the participants. The health status in the various waves of surveys was measured using the activities of daily living scale, and nondisabled was defined as healthy. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to calculate the life expectancy (LE) and healthy life expectancy (HLE) of the people aged 50 years and above.

RESULTS

The diabetes older people with a high frequency of leisure activities have longer HLE than those with lower activity frequency. Using 50-year-old diabetic women as an example, the LE (HLE) of those with six or more leisure activities and those with three or fewer leisure activities was 30.40 (25.34) and 24.90 (20.87), respectively. The LE (HLE) of men with the same conditions was 24.79 (22.68) and 20.30 (18.45), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This study used life expectancy and healthy life expectancy as markers to evaluate health benefits and provided evidence that leisure activities can help extend the life span and maintain the health status of middle-aged and older diabetics.

Exploring influential factors in the self-assessment of life satisfaction among Chinese elderly: a structural equation modeling analysis

The aging problem is becoming more and more prominent globally. Attention to the quality of life and related health improvement among the elderly has become an important issue in modern society. This study utilized a tracking survey conducted in 2017-2018, involving 9,327 Chinese older adults, to examine health influencing factors, and applied structural equation modeling to analyze the influencing factors on the self-assessment of life satisfaction among older adults in different regions (cities, counties, and villages) in China. This study revealed that economic status, psychological status, personal situation, life behaviors, and child care are important influences on older people's self- assessed life satisfaction. There is a positive correlation between economic status, psychological status, child care and the results of the self-assessment of life satisfaction of the elderly. Psychological status and child care have a greater impact on the self-assessment of life satisfaction among the elderly in urban areas compared to villages and towns. The influence of economic status on the self-assessment of life satisfaction of the elderly is lower in urban areas than in rural areas. There is a significant difference in the influence of personal situations on the self-assessment of life satisfaction among the elderly. Additionally, older individuals tend to report higher levels of self-assessment of life satisfaction. Furthermore, female elderly individuals tend to report higher levels of satisfaction compared to males. Findings from this study indicate that improving health self-assessment in older adults requires targeted efforts based on different geographic areas of life and the age stages of older adults, and more attention needs to be paid to men who are just entering old age.

A Path Analytic Model Exploration of Determinants of Happiness of Older Adults in Abu Dhabi

The objective of the study was to identify the factors associated with the subjective well-being of older adults in Abu Dhabi when happiness is taken as the dependent variable. In the present research, a framework based on theoretical models was developed in which older adult’s happiness was seen in a synergistic relationship and was associated with many other variables related to various domains in the social system. The sample consisted of 1,004 older adults aged 60 and above, who participated in the First Abu Dhabi General Social Survey administered in 2018. Many subjective well-being variables were considered. Path analysis was used to develop a model that incorporated the five following variables directly affecting the happiness of older adults: housing satisfaction, satisfaction with family life, satisfaction with friendships, life satisfaction, satisfaction with surrounding environment, and some psychological feelings. The study highlighted all direct and indirect associations. Further analysis of variance revealed the associations of gender, marital status, and education attainment. Implications of the study were highlighted along with future research directions.

Environment patterns and mental health of older adults in long-term care facilities: the role of activity profiles

Objectives: This study adopts the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model to determine extent to which the clustered patterns of long-term care (LTC) environment and activity participation are associated with older residents' mental health. Method: This study enrolled a stratified equal probability sample of 634 older residents in 155 LTC institutions in Taiwan. Latent profile analysis and latent class analysis were conducted to explore the profiles for environment and activity participation. Multilevel modeling was performed to elucidate the hypothesized relationships. Results: Three environment profiles (Low-, Moderate-, and High-Support Environment) based on physical, social, and attitudinal environment domains and two activity profiles (Low- and High-Activity Participation) across seven activity domains were identified. Compared to the Low-Support class, older adults in the Moderate- and High-Support Environment classes had better mental health. Older residents in those two classes were more likely to be in the "High Activity Participation" class, which in turn, exhibited better mental health. Conclusion: Environment and activity participation directly relate to older residents' mental health. Activity participation also mediates the link between environment and mental health. A combination of enhanced physical, social, and attitudinal environments, and continual engagement in various activities may optimize older LTC residents' mental health.

The Relationship between Health Promoting Behaviors and Quality of Life in Nursing Home Residents in Kayseri

Background and Aims. Healthy lifestyle behaviors are the major determinant of both prevention health and health related quality of life. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between health-promoting behaviors and quality of life of elderly individuals living in nursing homes. Methods. The study was performed between October 2008 and 2009, in the city of Kayseri in Turkey, upon 136 individuals, aged 65 and above, living in the Gazioglu Nursing Home. A sociodemographic questionnaire, Standardized Mini Mental Test, Health Promoting Lifestyle Behaviors Profile (HPLP), and WHOQOL-OLD module were used for the gathering of data. Results. The overall HPLP and quality of life (QoL) scores were 118.06±20.54 and 43.45±10.30, respectively. More than half of the participants have higher points than the mean QoL scores. The HPLP scores of these subjects were significantly higher compared to those with lower points than mean QoL scores. There was a positive relationship between the overall HPLP and WHOQOL-OLD mean scores, except for the autonomy and sensorial function domains. Conclusions. The study result showed that health-promoting behaviors are positively associated with better quality of life scores in the elderly subjects living in a nursing home.

Changes in Leisure Styles and Satisfaction of Older People: A Five Years Follow-up

The present study examines the leisure style and leisure satisfaction of a sample of older people at baseline and after a period of 5 years. Three groups were identified by factorial and cluster analyses and labelled under the headings of: Organised Style, Surrounding Style and Indoor Style. Each group represented a different typology of leisure, according to the demand for physical and organizational commitment. Results indicated that the Organized Style group was the most active and satisfied with their leisure time, and differed from the other two by being predominantly male, younger, better educated and in good health. Follow-up analyses revealed a decline in the size of both the Organised Style and Surrounding Style groups, and an increase in the size of the less active group, suggesting that advancing very old age with deteriorating health influenced older peoples' choices toward an increment of indoor activities. This pattern may be softened through the implementation of mechanisms of selection and optimisation.

Suicide of elderly persons: towards a framework for prevention

Suicide is an act of intentionally terminating one's own life. Although suicide rates vary across demographic categories, they have increased by approximately 60% in the last 50 years. Many studies of adolescent suicidal behavior have noted impulsivity to be a common feature in the younger age group, while with older people there is evidence of planning and a strong intent to die. In fact, older people are most successful as an age group with approximately one in four attempts resulting in death. While very comprehensive statistics are available on many aspects of this problem for the Turkish population as a whole, this data does not include physical factors like illnesses, legal domiciles like nursing homes, economic standards and history of attempted suicides. This necessary data would add greatly to the available data and accuracy of research in this area. Whereas Turkish national risk factor procedures are available, precaution procedures and suicide attempt data is not. There is no way of knowing how many deceased had a history of repetitions. It is suggested that this could be attributed to routine failure to observe and mitigate risk factors. The size of this problem is being demonstrated with this presented case report about a planned complex suicide with multiple sharp forced injuries and substance intoxication; a completed suicide that was potentially preventable with timely detection and intervention. In accordance, suicidal risk factors in the old age population, precautions, along with the characteristics of this suicidal case, are evaluated within existing published work.

[Quality of life perceived by the elderly. Results of the "Memory in movement" program which provide cognitive stimulation using motricity]

INTRODUCTION

This article presents the results of evaluation of health related quality of life in a group of elderly people who were engaged in the program of cognitive stimulation «Memory in movement».

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A content analysis was conducted to determine the type of experience that the subjects stated in the context of an interview. The statements were classified into categories created ad hoc. The sample consisted of 32 participants with a mean age of 69.92±4.98years. The software QSR NVivo-8 was used for data processing.

RESULTS

The results show that the 48% of the elderly perceive some improvements in their memorisation abilities, 47% in attention and concentration, and 10% in the satisfaction with life after being in the program. They are especially worried about the loss of memory -stated by the 65.62%- and they came to the cognitive stimulation program with the aim of improving this capacity. The feelings that participants reported having experienced during the program have to do with fun, vitality and energy.

CONCLUSIONS

Programs on cognitive stimulation that incorporate some physical activities, together with a clear playful and social component, improve the psychic and social capacities and they open an important line of intervention due to their good acceptance by the elderly.

Quality of life and its relation to sociodemographic factors among elderly people living in Tehran

AIM

The objective of this study was to assess the quality of life (QOL) and its relation to sociodemographic factors among elderly living in Tehran.

METHODS

A descriptive/correlational study was conducted. The sample consisted of 5600 people aged 60 years or older from 11 districts of Tehran. QOL was measured with the 36-item short form questionnaire.

RESULTS

QOL was positively associated with education levels, having previous state jobs and being employees, and negatively associated with smoking and having disease. Compared to men, women had lower scores for overall QOL and its dimensions.

CONCLUSION

Sociodemographic inequalities, smoking and having diseases should be the main targets for improving the QOL in the elderly population.

Associations of personal and mobility resources with subjective well-being among older adults in Italy and Germany

The purpose of this study was to investigate the patterns of associations of personal and mobility resources with positive well-being in two sample populations of older adults from Germany (n=1518) and Italy (n=600). A correlation study showed which variables correlated the closest with the well-being components, then four logistic regression analyses were performed, one for each well-being component such as the positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS) positive scale, mobility satisfaction, health satisfaction and life satisfaction. High positive scores of PANAS and satisfaction scales were found both for Germany and Italy. As expected and in accordance with previous studies, components utilized as a measure of subjective well-being correlated significantly with each other in both countries, confirming their validity as instruments of evaluation for several different life domains. A considerable result of this study was that the driving car is an important predictor of well-being in both countries. The findings underlined a variety of associations among the mobility resources and the subjective perception of well-being. Our work supports the importance of being aware of the main variables influencing the positive dimension of well-being for creating a better understanding the needs and goals of older people. Moreover, the present study shows that individual-environment interaction should be considered in evaluating personal well-being, especially in older people.