Are All Domains of Life Satisfaction Equal? Differential Associations With Health and Well-Being in Older Adults

Abstract Growing evidence documents strong associations between overall life satisfaction and favorable health and well-being outcomes. However, because most previous studies have assessed satisfaction with one’s life as a whole, we know little about whether specific domains of life satisfaction (e.g., satisfaction with income) might be driving better health and well-being outcomes. Data were from 13,752 participants in the Health and Retirement Study—a nationally representative cohort of US adults aged >or=50. We evaluated if positive changes in seven domains of life satisfaction (between t0;2008/2010 and t1;2012/2014) were associated with 35 indicators of physical, behavioral, and psychosocial health and well-being (at t2;2016/2018). Satisfaction with family life and non-work activities showed the largest associations with subsequent psychological factors, followed by satisfaction with financial situation and income. Effect estimates were double in magnitude for certain domains of life satisfaction (e.g., the association between satisfaction with family life and purpose in life (β=0.22, 95% CI:0.16,0.27) was more than twice as large as the association between satisfaction with housing and purpose in life (β=0.09, 95% CI:0.02,0.16). Further, some domains showed associations with physical health outcomes (e.g., participants with the highest satisfaction with health had a 21% decreased mortality risk (95% CI: 0.66,0.95)), health behaviors (e.g., higher satisfaction with income decreased risk of sleep problems by 11% (95% CI:0.80,0.99)), and social factors (e.g., loneliness (β: -0.16 to -0.42)). Individual domains of life satisfaction might be novel targets for interventions and policies seeking to enhance specific facets of health and well-being in our rapidly aging population.

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Abstract P393: Current and Future Perceptions of Well-being are Associated With General Health Status in Adults: Results From the Gallup National Health and Well-being Index, 2018

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.141.suppl_1.p393 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 141 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Christina M Shay ◽

Remy Poudel ◽

Kimberly Stitzel ◽

Yosef Khan

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Health Status ◽

Sex Education ◽

National Health ◽

General Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Subjective Rating ◽

General Health Status ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Health And Well Being

Background: Growing evidence exists indicate that subjective perceptions of well-being (i.e. life satisfaction) are favorably associated with overall health status. Few reports are available that explore this association in nationally representative samples of US adults. Methods: Data from were collected from 115,929 US adults (18+ y) from all 50 states via dual mail and web-based sampling through the 2018 Gallup National Health and Well-Being Survey. Well-being was assessed by asking individuals to place themselves on a 10-step ladder with ‘worst possible life’ representing the lowest rung and ‘best possible life’ the top rung; ratings were collected for both their current life and their life in 5 years. Based on both current and future life ratings, individuals were categorized as thriving, struggling, or suffering. General health status was assessed based 5 options (excellent to poor). Results: Significant positive trends were observed between current and future levels of life satisfaction with ratings of general health status after accounting for age, sex, education, an income (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively) (Figure 1). Similarly, the proportion of adults categorized as “Thriving” was higher across more favorable levels of general health status. Conclusions: Level of well-being assessed by subjective rating of life satisfaction is strongly, positively, and independently associated with perception of general health status in a large sample of US adults. These results may demonstrate the strong influence of well-being on the preservation of health, however, further prospective examination of these associations are warranted.

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The impact of having children on domain-specific life satisfaction: A quasi-experimental longitudinal investigation using the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) data

10.31234/osf.io/bj3hw ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Michael Dominik Krämer ◽

Joseph Lee Rodgers

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Family Life ◽

Multilevel Models ◽

Point Theory ◽

Personal Income ◽

Heterogeneous Effects ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Domains Of Life ◽

The Impact ◽

Satisfaction With Family Life

Longitudinal studies have documented improvements in parents’ life satisfaction due to childbearing, followed by postpartum adaptation back to baseline. However, the details underlying this process remain largely unexplored. Based on past literature, set-point theory, and results from an exploratory sample, we investigated empirically how first childbirth affected satisfaction with specific domains of life. In a preregistered study, we compared parents with matched childless respondents in their trajectories of life satisfaction, and also satisfaction with family life, health, sleep, work, housework, leisure, dwelling, household income, and personal income. First-time parents and childless respondents were matched in a procedure combining exact and propensity score matching. Using the population-representative German SOEP data (N = 3,370), longitudinal multilevel models revealed heterogeneous effects of childbirth on different domains of satisfaction: Both mothers’ and fathers’ satisfaction with family life increased temporarily in a similar fashion to life satisfaction before going back to baseline within five years after childbirth. However, only mothers experienced drastic losses to satisfaction with sleep and satisfaction with personal income. For the remaining domains, parents’ satisfaction largely resembled that of the matched childless respondents. These divergent domain trajectories underscore the need for multivariate analyses in life satisfaction research.

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Managing Everyday Occupations as a Predictor of Health and Life Satisfaction Among Mothers of Children With ADHD

Journal of Attention Disorders ◽

10.1177/1087054715601211 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 22 (10) ◽

pp. 1008-1016 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michal Avrech Bar ◽

Shereen Jlole Majadla ◽

Orit Bart

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Family Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Self Report ◽

Arab Women ◽

Children With Adhd ◽

Minor Contribution ◽

A Minor ◽

Occupational Settings ◽

Health And Well Being

Objective: Raising a child with special needs disturbs the balance of family life and affects mothers’ everyday life. The purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of occupational competence, occupational settings, and role load to the health and life satisfaction of Arab mothers of children with and without ADHD. Method: Participants included 40 Israeli Arab women aged 25 to 40 years. Half were mothers of children with ADHD and half were mothers of children without ADHD. Data were collected by using four self-report questionnaires. Results: Occupational competence and occupational settings predicted mothers’ mental health and life satisfaction. Having or not having a child with ADHD only reflects a minor contribution. Conclusion: Enhancing mothers’ occupational competence and settings may increase their health and life satisfaction. This study highlights the need to focus on maternal occupational competence and settings as they affect mothers’ health and well-being when providing intervention to children with ADHD.

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Are all domains of life satisfaction equal? Differential associations with health and well-being in older adults

Quality of Life Research ◽

10.1007/s11136-021-02977-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Julia S. Nakamura ◽

Scott W. Delaney ◽

Ed Diener ◽

Tyler J. VanderWeele ◽

Eric S. Kim

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Well Being ◽

Domains Of Life ◽

Health And Well Being

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Sense of Purpose in Life and Subsequent Physical, Behavioral, and Psychosocial Health: An Outcome-Wide Approach

American Journal of Health Promotion ◽

10.1177/08901171211038545 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 089011712110385

Author(s):

Eric S. Kim ◽

Ying Chen ◽

Julia S. Nakamura ◽

Carol D. Ryff ◽

Tyler J. VanderWeele

Keyword(s):

Health Behaviors ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Physical Health ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Purpose In Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Sense Of Purpose ◽

Physical Health Outcomes ◽

Health And Well Being ◽

Reduced Risk

Purpose: Growing evidence indicates that a higher sense of purpose in life ( purpose) is associated with reduced risk of chronic diseases and mortality. However, epidemiological studies have not evaluated if change in purpose is associated with subsequent health and well-being outcomes. Design: We evaluated if positive change in purpose (between t0; 2006/2008 and t1;2010/2012) was associated with better outcomes on 35 indicators of physical health, health behaviors, and psychosocial well-being (at t2;2014/2016). Sample: We used data from 12,998 participants in the Health and Retirement study—a prospective and nationally representative cohort of U.S. adults aged >50. Analysis: We conducted multiple linear-, logistic-, and generalized linear regressions. Results: Over the 4-year follow-up period, people with the highest (versus lowest) purpose had better subsequent physical health outcomes (e.g., 46% reduced risk of mortality (95% CI [0.44, 0.66])), health behaviors (e.g., 13% reduced risk of sleep problems (95% CI [0.77, 0.99])), and psychosocial outcomes (e.g., higher optimism (β = 0.41, 95% CI [0.35, 0.47]), 43% reduced risk of depression (95% CI [0.46, 0.69]), lower loneliness (β = −0.35, 95% CI [−0.41, −0.29])). Importantly, however, purpose was not associated with other physical health outcomes, health behaviors, and social factors. Conclusion: With further research, these results suggest that sense of purpose might be a valuable target for innovative policy and intervention work aimed at improving health and well-being.

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Are Loneliness and Social Isolation Equal Threats to Health and Well-being? An Outcome Wide Longitudinal Approach

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.3354 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 935-936

Author(s):

Tatiana Henriksson ◽

Julia Nakamura ◽

Eric Kim

Keyword(s):

Health Outcomes ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychosocial Health ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Religious Activities ◽

Wide Range ◽

Isolation Measure ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Health And Well Being

Abstract The detrimental effects of loneliness and social isolation on health and well-being outcomes are well documented. In response, governments, corporations, and community-based organizations have begun leveraging emerging tools to create interventions and policies aimed at reducing loneliness and social isolation at-scale. However, these efforts are frequently hampered by a key knowledge gap: when attempting to alleviate specific health and well-being outcomes, decision-makers are unsure whether to target loneliness, social isolation, or both. Participants (N=13,752) were from the Health and Retirement Study- a diverse nationally representative, and longitudinal sample of U.S. adults aged > 50 years. We examined how changes in loneliness and social isolation over a 4-year follow-up period (from t0:2008/2010 to t1:2012/2014) were associated with 32 indicators of physical-, behavioral-, and psychosocial-health outcomes 4-years later (t2:2016/2018). We used, multiple logistic-, linear-, and generalized-linear regression models, and adjusted for sociodemographics, personality traits, pre-baseline levels of both exposures (loneliness and social isolation), and all outcomes (t0:2008/2010). After adjusting for a wide range of covariates, we observed that both loneliness and social isolation have similar effects on physical health outcomes and health behaviors, whereas loneliness is a stronger predictor of psychological outcomes. In particular, behavioral dimensions of the social isolation measure (i.e., participation in social/religious activities, social interaction frequency) were most strongly associated with the largest number of health and well-being outcomes, including all-cause mortality. Loneliness and social isolation have independent effects on various health and well-being outcomes, thus, should be distinct targets for interventions aimed at improving the health and well-being.

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After the bell: adolescents’ organised leisure-time activities and well-being in the context of social and socioeconomic inequalities

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health ◽

10.1136/jech-2020-215319 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. jech-2020-215319

Author(s):

Petr Badura ◽

Zdenek Hamrik ◽

Maxim Dierckens ◽

Inese Gobiņa ◽

Marta Malinowska-Cieślik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Socioeconomic Factors ◽

Leisure Time ◽

Well Being ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Total N ◽

Low Socioeconomic ◽

Nuclear Families ◽

Lower Socioeconomic ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Health And Well Being

BackgroundPrevious research has linked adolescents’ participation in organised leisure-time activities (OLTAs) to better health and well-being. It remains unclear whether these associations can be observed consistently across social and socioeconomic strata and countries.MethodsThe present study used nine nationally representative samples of adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 years (total n=55 429) from the 2017/2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey from Europe and Canada. Regression models with mixed effects to account for nested nature of data were applied to estimate: (1) the associations of social and socioeconomic factors with OLTA participation; (2) strengths of the associations between breadth and pattern of OLTA participation with health and well-being indicators, after adjustment for the social and socioeconomic factors.ResultsRates of OLTA participation varied by age, sex and country of adolescents. Participants from lower socioeconomic classes and non-nuclear families were less likely to participate in OLTAs across each of the nine countries. Moreover, breadth of OLTA participation was associated with higher well-being independent of socioeconomic status or family structure. All of the participation patterns were associated with higher life satisfaction, but sports (either alone or in combination with a non-sport OLTA) were also associated with fewer psychological complaints and excellent self-rated health.ConclusionAdolescents’ engagement in OLTAs was associated with adolescents’ subjective well-being regardless of country, age, sex and variance in social and socioeconomic factors. Policies aimed at increasing adolescents’ subjective well-being and OLTA participation should focus on adolescents from low socioeconomic classes and non-nuclear families.

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Country-level structural stigma, identity concealment, and day-to-day discrimination as determinants of transgender people’s life satisfaction

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology ◽

10.1007/s00127-021-02036-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Richard Bränström ◽

John E. Pachankis

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Multilevel Models ◽

Well Being ◽

Transgender People ◽

Country Level ◽

Identity Concealment ◽

Population Attitudes ◽

Health And Well Being ◽

Lower Life Satisfaction ◽

Negative Population

Abstract Purpose Discriminatory laws, policies, and population attitudes, surrounding transgender people vary greatly across countries, from equal protection under the law and full acceptance to lack of legal recognition and open bias. The consequences of this substantial between-country variation on transgender people’s health and well-being is poorly understood. We therefore examined the association between structural stigma and transgender people’s life satisfaction across 28 countries. Methods Data from transgender participants (n = 6771) in the 2012 EU-LGBT-survey regarding identity concealment, day-to-day discrimination, and life satisfaction were assessed. Structural stigma was measured using publicly available data regarding each country’s discriminatory laws, policies, and population attitudes towards transgender people. Results Multilevel models showed that country-level structural stigma was associated with lower life satisfaction, an association largely explained by higher levels of identity concealment in higher-structural-stigma countries. Yet identity concealment was also associated with lower day-to-day discrimination and therefore protected against even lower life satisfaction. Conclusion The results emphasize the importance of changing discriminatory legislation and negative population attitudes to improve transgender people’s life satisfaction, and also highlight targets for intervention at interpersonal and individual levels.

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Cohort profile: the Men and Parenting Pathways (MAPP) Study: a longitudinal Australian cohort study of men’s mental health and well-being at the normative age for first-time fatherhood

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047909 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. e047909

Author(s):

Jacqui A Macdonald ◽

Lauren M Francis ◽

Helen Skouteris ◽

George J Youssef ◽

Liam G Graeme ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Data Collection ◽

Online Survey ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Well Being ◽

Work And Family ◽

Depressive Symptom Severity ◽

Health And Well Being

PurposeThe Men and Parenting Pathways (MAPP) Study is a prospective investigation of men’s mental health and well-being across the normative age for transitioning to fatherhood. This includes trajectories and outcomes for men who do and do not become fathers across five annual waves of the study.ParticipantsAustralian resident, English-speaking men aged 28–32 years at baseline were eligible. Recruitment was over a 2-year period (2015–2017) via social and traditional media and through engagement with study partners. Eight hundred and eighteen eligible men consented to participate. Of these, 664 men completed the first online survey of whom 608 consented to ongoing participation. Of the ongoing sample, 83% have participated in at least two of the first three annual online surveys.Findings to dateThree waves of data collection are complete. The first longitudinal analysis of MAPP data, published in 2020, identified five profiles that characterise men’s patterns of depressive symptom severity and presentations of anger. Profiles indicating pronounced anger and depressive symptoms were associated with fathers’ lack of perceived social support, and problems with coparenting and bonding with infants. In a second study, MAPP data were combined with three other Australian cohorts in a meta-analysis of associations between fathers’ self-reported sleep problems up to 3 years postpartum and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Adjusted meta-analytic associations between paternal sleep and mental health risk ranged from 0.25 to 0.37.Future plansMAPP is an ongoing cohort study. Waves 4 and 5 data will be ready for analyses at the end of 2021. Future investigations will include crossed-lagged and trajectory analyses that assess inter-relatedness and changing social networks, mental health, work and family life. A nested study of COVID-19 pandemic-related mental health and coping will add two further waves of data collection in a subsample of MAPP participants.

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Mediating Effect of Personal Meaning in the Prediction of Life Satisfaction and Mental Health Problems Based on Coronavirus Suffering

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.638379 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Gökmen Arslan ◽

Murat Yıldırım ◽

Mega M. Leung

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Problems ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Personal Meaning ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Health And Well Being

Research Problem: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a multi-faceted crisis worldwide. Researchers and health authorities in various parts of the world echoed the dire condition of the public's mental health. This study sought to examine the mediating effect of personal meaning on the association between coronavirus (COVID-19)-related suffering, mental health problems, and life satisfaction. Participants included 231 adults (mean age = 46.65 ± 13.98; 68% female) and completed measures of suffering related to COVID-19, meaning, life satisfaction, and mental health problems online.Results: Findings from mediation analysis showed that suffering had significant associations with personal meaning, mental health, and well-being. Furthermore, personal meaning was significantly associated with adults' mental health and well-being and mediated the negative effect of suffering on mental health and well-being.Discussion: Overall, results from this study indicate that personal meaning is an important promotive factor that may help to understand the negative effect of coronavirus-related suffering on mental health and well-being amid the public health crisis.

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