Family Solidarity, Social Support, Loneliness, and Well-Being Among Older Adults in Rural China

Abstract China is experiencing a large increase in elderly population. In 2019, China’s population aged 60 and above had reached 253 million, accounting for 18.1% of the total population (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2020). By 2050, the number of adults aged 60+ would be up to 430 million, reaching one third of the total population (Du, Zhai & Chen, 2005). Considering such a rapid aging process and the existing large number of older adults in China, it becomes imperative to investigate how psychosocial factors affect this group’s subjective well-being. This study proposed that, among older adults, higher support received from each of the three relational sources (adult children, family and friends) were associated with reduced loneliness and improved well-being. Structural equation modeling was conducted using a sample of rural adults aged 60 and older (N= 1142) from the 2018 wave of data from the Longitudinal Study of Older Adults in Anhui Province, China. Findings indicated that support from adult children directly and indirectly decreased older adults’ depression and improved their life satisfaction through loneliness; while support from family members directly decreased depression but did not directly improve life satisfaction or indirectly improve well-being through loneliness. Although support from friends did not have a significant impact on older adults’ well-being, it indirectly improved well-being through reduced loneliness. Findings have implications for programs or interventions targeting both parent -adult-child support and friends support and reducing rural older adults’ loneliness.

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Age-Friendly Communities and Life Satisfaction Among the Elderly in Urban China

Research on Aging ◽

10.1177/0164027518757760 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 40 (9) ◽

pp. 883-905 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Lili Xie

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Social Inclusion ◽

Well Being ◽

The Elderly ◽

Urban China ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Policy Makers

This study aims to examine the extent to which older adults’ perceptions of environmental age-friendliness are associated with their life satisfaction. We used a national representative sample ( N = 9,965) with elders aged 60 and above from urban China and structural equation modeling to analyze the relationship among community characteristics, socioeconomic status (SES), and life satisfaction. Results showed that older people’s perceptions of housing conditions, local amenities, and social inclusion were significantly associated with general life satisfaction. Multigroup comparison tests indicated that no disparities in the aforementioned relationships among SES subgroups. However, the socioeconomically disadvantaged elderly population was shown to have the lowest assessment of community age-friendliness. Findings emphasized the potential role of age-friendly communities as having an influential force on older adults’ subjective well-being, regardless of their SES. Meanwhile, policy makers and practitioners should pay special attentions to improve the living environments of disadvantaged elders.

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Adolescent Life Satisfaction Explained by Social Support, Emotion Regulation, and Resilience

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.694183 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Lorea Azpiazu Izaguirre ◽

Arantzazu Rodríguez Fernández ◽

Eider Goñi Palacios

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Emotion Regulation ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽

Positive Development ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Subjective Well Being

Adolescence is a stage characterized by many biological and psychosocial changes, all of which may result in a decrease in subjective well-being. It is therefore necessary to identify those factors that contribute to increased life satisfaction, in order to promote positive development among young people. The aim of this study is to examine the dynamics of a set of variables that contribute to life satisfaction. A total of 1,188 adolescents (aged between 12 and 16 years) completed the Perceived Social Support from Family and Friends and Perception of the School Environment Questionnaires, the Trait Meta Mood Scale (TMMS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 (CD-RISC), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) for social support, emotion regulation, resilience, and life satisfaction. By applying structural equation modeling (SEM), the results reveal a direct prediction of family support, emotion regulation, and resilience on life satisfaction. Support from friends and emotion regulation was also found to explain resilience, and support from family and teachers was found to predict emotion regulation. In conclusion, emotion regulation and social support were found to indirectly affect life satisfaction among adolescents through resilience. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

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The Ratio of Social Activity and Satisfaction of Basic Psychological Needs, Subjective Well-being and Social Frustration of Young People

Sibirskiy psikhologicheskiy zhurnal ◽

10.17223/17267080/77/9 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 176-195

Author(s):

R.M. Shamionov ◽

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Young People ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Social Activity ◽

Basic Needs ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychological Needs ◽

Basic Psychological Needs ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Subjective Well Being

The study of the ratio of meeting the basic needs, subjective well-being, social frustration and commitment to various forms of activity will help to understand the internal regulation of young people’s social behavior. Such scientific knowledge is necessary to expand the opportunities for social self-determination of young people and risk management of social activity. The purpose is to study the ratio of meeting the basic needs, characteristics of subjective well-being (life satisfaction and happiness experience), social frustration and social activity of young people, to identify direct and indirect effects using structural equation modeling. 305 people took part in the study. We used the questionnaire aimed at evaluating the inclusion in various social activity types, and the Basic Needs Satisfaction in General Scale (Johnston, Finney, 2010), the Life Satisfaction Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, Griffin, 1985), the Happiness Scale (Lyubomirsky, Lepper, 1999), and the Social Frustration Scale (Wasserman, 2004). We have established that meeting the basic needs, life satisfaction, and happiness are associated with commitment to various forms of social activity. The highest level of determination (in terms of the number of correlations and the closeness of connections) was found in relation to leisure, educational and developmental, religious (positive) and radical protest (negative) activity. At the same time, satisfaction of the need for competence is the most im-portant in motivating different forms of activity. Civil, socio-economic, and educational-developmental activities are associated with social satisfaction in various areas (the content of their work, life prospects, services and medical services, leisure activities, etc.), and social frustration is associated positively with protest, radical protest, and only in one case (dissatis-faction with security), with subcultural activity. Satisfaction of basic needs accounts for 2 to 15% of variations in commitment to various forms of social activity, and life satisfaction accounts for about 22% of variations in social activity.

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Resilience and Socioeconomic Status as Predictors of Life Satisfaction and Psychological Well-Being in Colombian Older Adults

Journal of Applied Gerontology ◽

10.1177/0733464819867554 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 269-276 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Maria-Fernanda Reyes ◽

Encarnación Satorres ◽

Juan C. Meléndez

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Social Inequalities ◽

Economic Status ◽

Well Being ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Cultural Aspects

Well-being is a complex construct related to sociodemographic and cultural aspects that vary across cultures. Latin America is a region with high social inequalities among population groups, although this varies significantly depending on the country. This article proposes a model that seeks to establish the relationship between psychosocial variables, psychological well-being, and life satisfaction in a sample of Colombian older adults. The model explores associations between resilience, socioeconomic status, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being. A study with a sample of 617 Colombian older adults was conducted. A structural equation modeling technique was performed. The results showed a model in which life satisfaction is positively explained by psychological well-being and resilience, whereas psychological well-being is explained by a higher socio-economic status. The results contribute to the evidence about how well-being is determined by psychosocial and cultural factors. The evidence found represents novel information about older adults in Colombia.

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Family Value Matters: Intergenerational Solidarity and Life Satisfaction of Chinese Older Migrants

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1109 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 345-345

Author(s):

Jun Yao ◽

Li Zhang ◽

Peiyi Lu

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Design Education ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Well Being ◽

Family Values ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Intergenerational Solidarity ◽

Older Migrants

Abstract The number of older adults who migrate due to family reasons has been increasing rapidly in China in the past decade. However, few empirical studies have focused on this group. This study focused on them and explored the association of intergenerational solidarity with older migrants’ life satisfaction when they were adapting to the new environment. We surveyed 340 older adults who migrated to Nanjing with their children either to help care for the grandchildren or enjoy retirement life. Respondents were recruited from the community. Structural equation modeling was adopted to analyze the associations among intergenerational solidarity, loneliness, aging perception, and life satisfaction. Results showed intergenerational solidarity was negatively correlated with loneliness (r=-0.304) but positively correlated with life satisfaction (r=0.386). Loneliness was linked to lower life satisfaction(r=-0.517). Path analyses showed that loneliness played a partial mediation role on the relationship of intergenerational solidarity and life satisfaction. Aging perception negatively moderated the association between intergenerational solidarity and loneliness, and also negatively moderated the mediating effect of loneliness on intergenerational solidarity and life satisfaction. It is concluded family values played important roles in Chinese older migrants’ mental health. When they migrate to a new city, intergenerational solidarity can help ease their loneliness and subsequently improve their life satisfaction, which finally help them adapt to the new environment. Positive perception towards aging also helps improve their well-being after migration. Based on these findings, we suggest practitioners design education program to promote family values among the family with older migrants.

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The role of labour market integration, language proficiency and inter-ethnic contacts in shaping life satisfaction among immigrants in the Netherlands

RUDN Journal of Economics ◽

10.22363/2313-2329-2019-27-2-326-337 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 326-337

Author(s):

Iuliia E Pletneva

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Language Proficiency ◽

Market Integration ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Well Being ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Integration Of Immigrants

Studies show relatively low life satisfaction among immigrants and ethnic minorities. At the same time, it was found that subjective well-being plays an important role in the process of social integration of immigrants. This study contributes to the existing literature by exploring the meditative role of integration in the labor market and inter-ethnic contacts in the relationship between language proficiency and life satisfaction among the first and second generation of Turkish and Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands. Based on data from the Netherlands Longitudinal Lifecourse Study (NELLS), an analysis was performed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that despite the fact that language acquisition does not have a direct effect on increasing life satisfaction among immigrants, it does have a positive effect through increasing labor integration and contacts with members of the ethnic majority.

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Emotional intelligence in older adults: psychometric properties of the TMMS-24 and relationship with psychological well-being and life satisfaction

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610217000722 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 29 (8) ◽

pp. 1327-1334 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

I. Delhom ◽

M. Gutierrez ◽

B. Lucas-Molina ◽

J. C. Meléndez

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Emotional Intelligence ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Well Being ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Factor Analyses ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽

Confirmatory Factor

ABSTRACTBackground:Aging is a process during which important changes occur in different areas of development and emotional intelligence plays an essential role. The objective of this study was twofold: first, to validate the TMMS-24 in an older population; and second, to examine the mediating role of life satisfaction in the relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological well-being.Methods:The sample consisted of 215 older adults (60.15% women) with a mean age of 69.56 (SD = 6.42), without cognitive impairment. Data on emotional intelligence, satisfaction with life, and psychological well-being were obtained through the TMMS-24, the SWLS, and Ryff's psychological well-being scales, respectively. Confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling were conducted.Results:Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the three-dimensional structure of the TMMS-24. The total scale showed an internal consistency of 0.90, ranging from 0.84 to 0.85 for the subscales. Structural equation modeling indicated that emotional intelligence exerted an influence on psychological well-being both directly and indirectly through life satisfaction.Conclusions:These findings show that the TMMS-24 has adequate psychometric properties for assessing emotional intelligence in elderly participants, and they indicate that emotional intelligence influences cognitive and affective judgments of life satisfaction, with these judgments of life satisfaction predicting psychological well-being.

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Coping and Life Satisfaction in Colombian Older Adults

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182010584 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (20) ◽

pp. 10584

Author(s):

Maria-Fernanda Reyes ◽

Encarnación Satorres ◽

Iraida Delhom ◽

Alexandra Bueno-Pacheco ◽

Juan C. Meléndez

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Satisfaction Scale ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Confirmatory Factor Analyses

Background. Effective coping strategies facilitate older adults’ optimal adaptation and contribute to their well-being. Problem-focused strategies are associated with active styles and enhance well-being. This study analyzes the role of coping strategies in Colombian older adults’ subjective well-being (SWB) using structural equation modelling. Additionally, Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Life Satisfaction Scale and Coping Strategies Questionnaires are performed. Method. A cross-sectional study is conducted with 455 Colombian older adults, ranging from 65 to 92 years old. Results. The results show that problem-focused coping has a positive effect on SWB, whereas emotion-focused coping has a negative effect on SWB. Conclusions. This article highlights the relationship between effective coping and life satisfaction by showing that problem-focused coping strategies are adaptative and enhance well-being during aging.

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THE PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENTS, SOCIAL ACTIVITIES, AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING: FINDINGS FROM THE K2 STUDY

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.1026 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S277-S277

Author(s):

Midori Takayama ◽

Yoshiko Ishioka ◽

Ikuko Sugawara

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Covariance Structure ◽

Well Being ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Social Activities ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Social Environments ◽

The Social ◽

Physical Functions

Abstract It has been pointed that the environments effect subjective well-being(SWB). However, it is still not clear what aspects of environments effect SWB among older adults and if degree on physical condition of older adults cause the difference on relations between and environments and SWB. In this study, firstly, we examined the relationship between the physical and social environments, social activities, and SWB in a sample of older Japanese. Secondly, we examined the differences on the effects of environments on SWB between older adults with lower physical functions and those with higher physical functions. We used data from locally representative longitudinal study of older adults 75±1, 80±1, and 85±1 years of age (at baseline) , which was conducted in Japan (The Keio-Kawasaki Aging Study(K2 study) ; N = 1388). Concerning the environments, we assessed the physical environments (public spaces and buildings, and accessibility) and the social environments (culture and recreation programs, and inclusive social environment). Results from covariance structure analyses showed that the accessible physical environment and the social environments were significant predictors of SWB, and showed that accessibility and the social environments influenced SWB via participation of social activities, too. Moreover, results from multiple group structural equation modeling showed that accessibility was a stronger predictor of SWB among older adults with lower physical functions, while accessibility was not a predictor among older adults with higher physical functions. The potential benefits of this approach provide a basic developing compensation model of SWB for this population of older adults.

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Peer Relatedness, School Satisfaction, and Life Satisfaction in Early Adolescence: A Non-recursive Model

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.641714 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

René Gempp ◽

Mònica González-Carrasco

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Well Being ◽

School Satisfaction ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Reciprocal Effect ◽

Recursive Model ◽

Peer Relatedness ◽

Overall Life Satisfaction

Cumulative evidence suggests that, for children and adolescents, peer relatedness is an essential component of their overall sense of belonging, and correlates with subjective well-being and school-based well-being. However, it remains unclear what the underlying mechanism explaining these relationships is. Therefore, this study examines whether there is a reciprocal effect between school satisfaction and overall life satisfaction (Hypothesis 1), and whether the effect of peer relatedness on life satisfaction is mediated by school satisfaction (Hypothesis 2). A non-recursive model with instrumental variables was tested with econometric and structural equation modeling methodologies, using a cross-sectional sample of n = 5,619 Chilean early adolescents (49.2% girls), aged 10, 11, and 12 (46.13, 44.99, and 8.88% respectively). Results were highly consistent across methods and supported the hypotheses. First, the findings confirmed a significant reciprocal influence between school satisfaction and overall life satisfaction, with a greater impact from school to life satisfaction. Second, the effect of peer relatedness on overall life satisfaction was fully mediated by school satisfaction. The study further suggests the importance of considering reciprocal effects among domain-specific satisfaction and overall life satisfaction and illustrates the application of non-recursive models for this purpose.

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