Cross‐country determinants of satisfaction with life

This study focuses on the impact of demographic, socioeconomic, geographic and health determinants on Portuguese seniors’ life satisfaction. The aim of this research is, therefore, to map the determinants of satisfaction with the life of the Portuguese seniors at a national and regional level. This knowledge brings insights to improve quality of life, starting with prevention in their active life (organizational level). We used data collected by the National Health Survey of 2014 and estimated a linear OLS regression both for Portugal and its regions. The main results show that determinants that contribute positively to the level of satisfaction with life are: marital status of being “married”; higher levels of education; higher levels of income; being men and people living in rural areas. The determinant that contributed negatively to the level of satisfaction with life is the existence of chronic diseases.The results at the regional level maintain the trends observed at the country level, showing income and chronic diseases as determinants that have an impact on life satisfaction in all regions. A general profile of the Portuguese seniors is provided for the country and by region, as well as proposals, generic and transversal, at the organizational level are outlined.

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Happiness at Older Ages

The Origins of Happiness ◽

10.23943/princeton/9780691196336.003.0010 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 129-150

Author(s):

Andrew Steptoe ◽

Camille Lassale

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Social Relationships ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

Middle Age ◽

Financial Resources ◽

Relative Importance ◽

Cognitive Capacities ◽

Determinants Of Satisfaction ◽

Death And Loss

This chapter investigates happiness after aging. As people move from middle into older ages, their circumstances and experiences change in many ways. Most people retire; their children leave home and establish independent lives; physical and cognitive capacities decline; and the experience of the death and loss of loved ones becomes more common. These changes influence financial resources, social relationships, independence, and autonomy. At the same time, people who no longer feel bound by the constraints of middle age may find fresh opportunities as they age, together with relief from many important sources of stress. All these processes mean that the determinants of satisfaction with life may change with aging, or at least that the relative importance of the various sources of life-satisfaction may shift as one grows older.

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The German Version of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS)

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000058 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 127-132 ◽

Cited By ~ 180

Author(s):

Heide Glaesmer ◽

Gesine Grande ◽

Elmar Braehler ◽

Marcus Roth

Keyword(s):

Convergent Validity ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

Age Groups ◽

Population Based ◽

Factorial Invariance ◽

Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽

Small Samples ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽

Life Scale

The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) is the most commonly used measure for life satisfaction. Although there are numerous studies confirming factorial validity, most studies on dimensionality are based on small samples. A controversial debate continues on the factorial invariance across different subgroups. The present study aimed to test psychometric properties, factorial structure, factorial invariance across age and gender, and to deliver population-based norms for the German general population from a large cross-sectional sample of 2519 subjects. Confirmatory factor analyses supported that the scale is one-factorial, even though indications of inhomogeneity of the scale have been detected. Both findings show invariance across the seven age groups and both genders. As indicators of the convergent validity, a positive correlation with social support and negative correlation with depressiveness was shown. Population-based norms are provided to support the application in the context of individual diagnostics.

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Differences in the Way to Conceive Happiness Relate to Different Reactions to Negative Events

Journal of Individual Differences ◽

10.1027/1614-0001/a000246 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 39 (1) ◽

pp. 27-38 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Giulia Fuochi ◽

Chiara A. Veneziani ◽

Alberto Voci

Keyword(s):

Positive Emotions ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Protective Role ◽

Stressful Events ◽

Interactive Effects ◽

Negative Events ◽

Orientations To Happiness ◽

Specific Reactions ◽

The Way

Abstract. This paper aimed to assess whether differences in the way to conceive happiness, measured by the Orientations to Happiness measure, were associated with specific reactions to negative events. We hypothesized that among orientations to pleasure (portraying hedonism), to meaning (representing a eudaimonic approach to life), and to engagement (derived from the experience of flow), orientation to meaning would have displayed a stronger protective role against recent negative and potentially stressful events. After providing a validation of the Italian version of the Orientations to Happiness measure (Study 1), we performed regression analyses of the three orientations on positive and negative emotions linked to a self-relevant negative event (Study 2), and moderation analyses assessing the interactive effects of orientations to happiness and stressful events on well-being indicators (Study 3). Our findings supported the hypotheses. In Study 2, meaning was associated with positive emotions characterized by a lower activation (contentment and interest) compared to the positive emotions associated with pleasure (amusement, eagerness, and happiness). In Study 3, only meaning buffered the effect of recent potentially stressful events on satisfaction with life and positive affect. Results suggest that orientation to meaning might help individuals to better react to negative events.

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Measurement Invariance of the Serbian Version of the Satisfaction With Life Scale Across Age, Gender, and Time

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000410 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (4) ◽

pp. 555-563 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Veljko Jovanović

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Factor Analysis ◽

Confirmatory Factor Analysis ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

Life Scale ◽

Serbian Version ◽

Age Range ◽

Over Time

Abstract. The present research aimed at examining measurement invariance of the Serbian version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) across age, gender, and time. A total sample in Study 1 consisted of 2,595 participants from Serbia, with a mean age of 23.79 years (age range: 14–55 years). The final sample in Study 2 included 333 Serbian undergraduate students ( Mage = 20.81; age range: 20–27 years), who completed the SWLS over periods of 6 and 18 months after the initial assessment. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the modified unidimensional model of the SWLS, with correlated residuals of items 4 and 5 tapping past satisfaction. The results of the multigroup confirmatory factor analysis supported the full scalar invariance across gender and over time and partial scalar invariance across age. Latent mean comparisons revealed that women reported higher life satisfaction than men. Additionally, adolescents reported higher life satisfaction than students and adults, with adults showing the lowest life satisfaction. Our findings indicate that the SWLS allows meaningful comparisons in life satisfaction across age, gender, and over time.

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