Association of experienced and evaluative well-being with health in nine countries with different income levels: a cross-sectional study

Pain and subjective well-being among older adults in the developing world : A comprehensive assessment based on the WHO Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health

This paper studies the association of pain with subjective well-being (SWB) and time use among older adults in five low- and middle-income countries using data from the first wave of the WHO Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health. We suggest a novel use of anchoring vignettes as direct control functions to account for potentially correlated reporting behaviors such as correlated response scales when analyzing the relationship between subjective variables such as self-reported pain and SWB. Exploiting detailed data on individual time use and several complementary measures of SWB, including fine-grained activity-specific affective experiences derived from an abbreviated version of the Day Reconstruction Method, we find that both evaluative and experienced well-being are markedly lower for people living with pain compared to those without pain. These disparities persist even after controlling for possible confounding from reporting behaviors through the use of anchoring vignettes. Differences in experienced utility by pain status appear to be exclusively due to worse affective experiences during daily activities for those with pain, which seem to be partially mediated through changes in their functional limitations. Pain-related differences in time use, in turn, seem to provide only small compensating effects, underscoring important challenges to the use of changed activity patterns as a viable coping strategy for individuals enduring pain.

Les Misérables: An analysis of low SWB across the world

Global trends indicate that the prevalence of low subjective wellbeing is on the rise, though not all regions are equal in terms of both absolute levels and their trajectories. In this paper, we explore the relative importance of individual- and country-level factors in predicting low SWB. Put differently, we ask if a person found themselves behind a veil of ignorance, should they want to know who they will be or what country they will live in to better understand their risk of having low wellbeing. To answer this question, we leverage data from the most extensive wellbeing survey in the world-the Gallup World Poll. We explore people's likelihood of reporting low evaluative wellbeing (that their life is close to the worst possible life on the Cantril ladder) and low experiential wellbeing (reporting having felt angry, sad, stressed, and worried for most of the day yesterday). Using multilevel models on both measures, we show that individual factors have the greatest explanatory power across both measures, but that country level factors are almost four times more important in explaining the variation in low evaluative wellbeing than low experiential wellbeing around the world. We also present evidence that individual and country-level factors interact, suggesting that a complex system of people and places determines people's likelihood of reporting low SWB.

Connecting and feeling: Associations between social factors and emotions in nine countries

We aimed to explore the distribution of positive and negative emotions across nine low-, middle- and high-income countries; and the association between social factors and these emotions. Data were drawn from the SAGE and the COURAGE studies, with 52,553 participants. Emotions were assessed through the day reconstruction method.Sociodemographic characteristics and social factors were also measured. Multiple linear regressions were performed. Finland, China and African countries showed significantly lower scores on the negative emotions, whereas positive emotions were more homogeneous across countries. Loneliness was positively associated with negative emotions and negatively associated with positive ones; frequent social participation was related with higher scores in positive emotions; and lower trust with higher levels of feeling rushed, irritated, depressed and less calm. The extent to which each emotion was felt varied across countries, but there seems to exist an association of social factors with the emotions.

Students in Turkey During the Early Days of the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study aims to analyse the subjective well-being of university students during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic process and to examine how students have been affected economically, psychologically and socially. Other subjects included in the scope of the study are the suitability of the physical conditions during the process of online education, the students' motivation, and their expectations towards the future. The study also analyses the connection between these factors and the subjective well-being concepts of happiness and life satisfaction. The study focuses on students of the Faculty of Economics at Marmara University in Turkey. In total, 428 students took part in the survey prepared for the study. Descriptive analyses indicate that students have been negatively affected in terms of psychological and socio-economic factors along with subjective well-being. Ordered probit models show a statistically significant relationship between a major part of these changes and subjective well-being variables.

The effect of childhood socioeconomic status on depressive symptoms in middle-old age: the mediating role of life satisfaction

BACKGROUND

Some studies have shown that childhood socioeconomic status (SES) can influence the development and progression of depression in adulthood. This study aimed to analyze the effects of childhood SES on depressive symptoms in individuals of middle-old age and examine the potential mediating role of life satisfaction based on national data in China.

METHODS

Data were derived from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) data. A total of 17,129 individuals who were aged 45 years and older were included. The dependent variable was depressive symptoms in middle-old age. Childhood SES was the independent variable, and life satisfaction was the mediator. This study controlled four factors: general demographic characteristics, adult SES, childhood adversity and health and living status. Pearson correlations and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were performed, and the Baron and Kenny method was used to test the mediating role.

RESULTS

The score of depressive symptoms among all participants was 7.88 ± 6.65. Gender, age, adult SES, childhood adversity and health and living status all affected the development of depression symptom in middle-aged and elderly individuals in China. After adjusting for all covariates, the higher the childhood SES, the lower the depressive symptom score (β = - 0.422, P < 0.001). Life satisfaction had a partial mediating effect between childhood SES and depressive symptoms. Low childhood SES may improve life satisfaction (β = 0.051, P < 0.001) and life satisfaction indirectly decreases depressive symptom scores (β = - 0.403, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Life satisfaction was a partial mediator between childhood SES and depressive symptoms in middle and old age. Improving life satisfaction may serve as an intervention to reduce the incidence of depression symptoms in the future.

Perceived Community Age-friendliness is Associated With Quality of Life Among Older Adults

We examined the positive association between perceived community age-friendliness and self-reported quality of life for older adults. A total of 171 participants, aged 77–96 years, completed a mail-in questionnaire package that included measures of health (SF-36 Physical), social participation (Social Participation Scale), community age-friendliness (Age-Friendly Survey [AFS]), and quality of life (WHO Quality of Life). Hierarchical regression models including age, gender, driving status, finances, health, social participation, and AFS scores explained 8 to 21 per cent of the variance in quality of life scores. Community age-friendliness was a statistically significant variable in all models, accounting for three to six and a half per cent of additional variance in quality of life scores. Although the proportion of variance explained by age-friendliness was small, our findings suggest that it is worthwhile to further investigate whether focused, age-friendly policies, interventions, and communities could play a role towards successful and healthy aging.

Sport Participation and Subjective Outcomes of Health in Middle-Aged Men: A Scoping Review

Although sport participation is intrinsically motivating and improves the physical health of middle-aged men, its influence on subjective health measures, such as health-related quality of life, self-rated health, or well-being is unclear. The purpose of this scoping review was to describe the existing literature that has assessed male sport participants and their subjective health. MEDLINE, Embase, Emcare, PsycInfo, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched, and reference lists of included studies were pearled. Included were original peer-reviewed studies reporting a marker of subjective health in males, 35 to 54 years (average), who participated in sport. The search identified 21 eligible articles, 18 quantitative, 2 mixed-methods, and 1 qualitative, from 13 different countries. Eighteen studies were cross-sectional. A broad range of outcomes were assessed, with the most common being quality of life/health-related quality of life (n = 6) and self-rated health (n = 6). Most studies assessing quality of life, health-related quality of life, or self-rated health demonstrated a positive association with sport participation, while sport participation was not related to measures of life satisfaction, flourishing, happiness or global well-being; however, limited studies examined these latter outcomes. Sport participation appears to be related to better select subjective health outcomes in middle-aged men. However, most available data are cross-sectional and thus causation cannot be determined. Randomized intervention trials are required to determine whether sport participation improves the subjective health of middle-aged men.

Open Science Framework registration:https://osf.io/zypds

Relationships among mental health, social capital and life satisfaction in rural senior older adults: a structural equation model

BACKGROUND

Literature about life satisfaction in rural senior older adults is scarce. The aim of this research was to examine the relationships among mental health, social capital and life satisfaction in rural senior older adults.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study. From July to October 2017, 245 senior older adults from 14 villages of Jinhua City in China were recruited. The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Chinese Version of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), the Social Capital Questionnaire (SCQ) and a self-designed questionnaire was administered to the participants. Structural equation modelling was implemented to analyse the relationships between mental health, social capital and life satisfaction in rural senior older adults.

RESULTS

The structural equation model was fitting adequately (χ2/df = 1.785, P < 0.001; RMSEA = 0.059; CFI = 0.963). Life satisfaction was positively affected by income (β = 0.243, P = 0.01). Likewise, community canteen services improved life satisfaction (β = 0.288, P = 0.001). Social capital had direct positive prediction on life satisfaction (β = 0.342, P = 0.003) and indirectly improved life satisfaction through mental health (β =0.183, P = 0.007). Life satisfaction was impaired by poor mental health among senior older adults (β = - 0.395, P < 0.026).

CONCLUSIONS

Life satisfaction among rural senior older adults is a multifaceted well-being construct affected by income, community canteen services, social capital and mental health. The presented model highlights the positive effect of income, community canteen services, social capital and mental health. Appropriate home-based aged care, programs and policies are needed.

Mediators of the socioeconomic status and life satisfaction relationship in older adults: a multi-country structural equation modeling approach

OBJECTIVES

Socioeconomic status (SES) relates to life satisfaction in old age, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Health and subjective social status have shown to be related to both SES and life satisfaction. This study aims to test the mediating role of health and subjective social status in old age, and to analyze if these potential mediations vary among three European countries with different socioeconomic characteristics and welfare regimes.

METHOD

The sample comprised 7,272 participants aged 50+ from COURAGE in Europe study, a household survey carried out in 2011-2012 on nationally representative samples from Finland, Poland, and Spain. A Multiple Indicators, Multiple Causes approach based on multi-group Structural Equation Modeling was implemented to test mediating effects.

RESULTS

The structural invariance model showed an adequate fit (CFI = 0.971, RMSEA = 0.061). Health and subjective social status invariantly mediated the relationship between SES and life satisfaction across countries with different socioeconomic characteristics and welfare regimes. SES direct effects explained 0.83-0.85% of life satisfaction variance, whilst indirect effects explained 2.29-2.36% of life satisfaction variance via health, 3.30-3.42% via subjective social status, and 0.06% via both mediating variables.

CONCLUSION

Policies aimed at increasing the SES of the older adults may entail multiple benefits, resulting in better subjective social status, health, and life satisfaction outcomes, thus fostering healthy aging of the population.

Relationship between subjective well-being and healthy lifestyle behaviours in older adults: a longitudinal study

Objectives: People who report better subjective well-being tend to be healthier in their daily behaviours. The objective of this study is to assess whether different components of subjective well-being are prospectively associated with different healthy lifestyle behaviours and to assess whether these associations differ by age.Method: A total of 1,892 participants aged 50+ living in Spain were interviewed in 2011-12 and 2014-15. Life satisfaction was measured with the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. Positive and negative affect were assessed using the Day Reconstruction Method. Physical activity was assessed with the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire version 2. The remaining healthy lifestyle behaviours were self-reported. Generalised Estimating Equations (GEE) models were run.Results: Not having a heavy episodic alcohol drinking was the healthy lifestyle behaviour most fulfilled (97.97%), whereas the intake of five or more fruits and vegetables was the least followed (33.12%). GEE models conducted over the 50-64 and the 65+ age groups showed that a higher life satisfaction was significantly related to a higher physical activity in both groups. Relationships between a higher negative affect and presenting a lower level of physical activity, and a higher positive affect and following the right consumption of fruits and vegetables and being a non-daily smoker, were only found in the older group.Conclusion: The relationship between subjective well-being and healthy lifestyle behaviours was found fundamentally in those aged 65+ years. Interventions focused on incrementing subjective well-being would have an impact on keeping a healthy lifestyle and, therefore, on reducing morbidity and mortality.

Factors Related to Unemployment in Europe. A Cross-Sectional Study from the COURAGE Survey in Finland, Poland and Spain

Background: Research addressing the impact of a large number of factors on unemployment is scarce. We aimed to comprehensively identify factors related to unemployment in a sample of persons aged 18-64 from Finland, Poland and Spain. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, factors from different areas were considered: socio-demographic indicators, health habits, chronic conditions, health state markers, vision and hearing indicators, and social networks and built environment scores. Results: Complete data were available for 5003 participants, mean age 48.1 (SD 11.5), 45.4% males. The most important factors connected to unemployment were health status indicators such as physical disability (OR = 2.944), self-rated health (OR = 2.629), inpatient care (OR = 1.980), and difficulties with getting to the toilet (OR = 2.040), while the most relevant factor related to employment were moderate alcohol consumption (OR = 0.732 for non-heavy drinkers; OR = 0.573 for infrequent heavy drinkers), and being married (OR = 0.734), or having been married (OR = 0.584). Other factors that played a significant role included presence of depression (OR = 1.384) and difficulties with near vision (OR = 1.584) and conversation hearing (OR = 1.597). Conclusions: Our results highlight the importance of selected factors related to unemployment, and suggest public health indications that could support concrete actions on modifiable factors, such as those aimed to promote physical activity and healthy behaviors, tackling depression or promoting education, in particular for the younger.