“In the mood for ageing”: determinants of subjective well-being in older men and women of the population-based KORA-Age study

Abstract

BackgroundTo investigate risk factors associated with low subjective well-being (SWB) in men and women (≥65 years) separately with a special focus on emotional distress.MethodsA cross-sectional analysis was conducted among 3602 participants (50.6% women) aged 65-90 years (mean age 72.8 years, SD ± 5.8) from the population-based KORA-Age study conducted in 2008/2009. SWB was assessed using the WHO-5 well-being index (score range: 0 to 100). SWB was dichotomized into “low” (score ≤ 50) and “high” (score > 50) SWB. The association between potential risk factors and SWB was assessed by logistic regressions analyses. Population-attributable risks (PARs) were calculated.ResultsLow SWB was significantly higher in women than in men (23.8% versus 18.2%; p < 0.0001). The logistic regressions analyses revealed low income, physical inactivity, multimorbidity, depression, anxiety and sleeping problems to be associated with low SWB in both sexes. Living alone increased the odds of having low SWB in women, but not in men. Depression and anxiety were the strongest risk factors of low SWB among men (depression: OR: 4.19, 95% CI: 1.33-13.17, p < 0.05; anxiety: 8.45, 5.14-13.87, p < 0.0001) and women (depression: 6.83, 2.49-18.75 p < 0.05; anxiety: 7.31, 5.14-10.39, p < 0.0001). In both sexes, anxiety had the highest population-attributable risk (men: 27%, women: 41%).ConclusionOur results call out for an increased focus on mental health interventions among older adults, especially for women living alone. Further research is needed to understand the paradoxical pattern of discrepant subjective well-being versus objective health in age.

Do interactions cancel associations of subjective well-being with individual-level socioeconomic characteristics? An exploratory analysis using the European Social Survey

“…Broyd et al (2016, p. 429) report that maximising SWB produces, besides economic advantages, obvious benefits for special sub-groups of the population, such as people with severe mental illness. Lukaschek et al (2017) investigated risk factors associated with low SWB in males and females aged 65 and over. Depression, anxiety, and sleeping problems seemed to be associated with low SWB in both sexes.…”

Interaction of Physical Activity and Personality in the Subjective Wellbeing of Older Adults in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom

“…The positive relationship between physical activity and SWB has been well documented in cross-sectional studies targeting older adults [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ], some of which were carried out in HK and the UK. Based on 102 adults in HK (aged 65 years or above), Poon and Fung [ 15 ] found that physical activity was positively related to satisfaction with relationships.…”

Sociodemographic, health-related, and social predictors of subjective well-being among Chinese oldest-old: a national community-based cohort study

“…However, the damage of smoking to physical functions, such as increased risks of lung cancer, atherosclerosis, and stroke [53], makes it not recommended. Previous researches have indicated that physical activity is a signi cant and robust predictor of SWB among older adults [10,17,54]. Our study shows that this prediction is still applicable for the oldest-old.…”

“…They are generally unable to support themselves nancially, have poor ability to take care of themselves, are weak and sick, and have lost their spouses. Previous researches have found a downward trend in the SWB level with increasing age in the old people [17]. There may be differences in the risk factors of SWB between the young-old and the oldest-old, so it is best not to generalize.…”