Longitudinal associations between formal volunteering and well-being among retired older people: follow-up results from a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Volunteering has been identified as a potential mechanism for improving the psychosocial health of older adults. Utilizing a randomized controlled trial approach, the present study assessed the extent to which commencing volunteering can improve psychosocial health outcomes for older people. Fully-retired Australian adults aged 60+ years (N = 445) were assessed at baseline and allocated to either the intervention or control arms of the trial. Those in the intervention condition were asked to participate in at least 60 minutes of formal volunteering per week for six months. Per-protocol analyses were conducted comparing psychosocial outcomes for those who complied with the intervention condition (n = 73) to outcomes for those who complied with the control condition (n = 112). Those who complied with the intervention condition demonstrated significant improvements in life satisfaction, purpose in life, and personal growth scores over a 12-month period relative to those in the control condition who did no volunteering. Findings provide evidence of a causal relationship between commencing volunteering and improvements in psychosocial health among older adults and indicate that encouraging participation in this activity could constitute an effective healthy aging intervention.

What makes life purposeful? Identifying the antecedents of a sense of purpose in life using a lagged exposure-wide approach

“…Our findings converge with prior studies that identified predictors of increased purpose (e.g., physical activity ( Lewis & Hill, 2020 ; Yemiscigil & Vlaev, 2021 ) and prosocial behavior/volunteering ( Jongenelis et al, 2021 )), and decreased purpose (e.g., loneliness ( Chen et al, 2020 ; Mei et al, 2021 ), depressive symptoms ( Chen et al, 2020 ), anxiety symptoms ( Chen et al, 2020 ), and hopelessness ( Chen et al, 2020 )). However, our findings diverge from prior studies which observed other factors (e.g., number of close relatives; Chen et al, 2020 ) that are associated with increased purpose.…”

“…One key factor hindering intervention development is the identification of factors that predict purpose. Many factors have been assessed as candidate antecedents of increased purpose, including: physical activity ( Lewis & Hill, 2020 ; Yemiscigil & Vlaev, 2021 ; Zhang & Chen, 2021 ), psychological well-being (e.g., increased positive affect; Chen et al, 2020 ), psychological distress (e.g., decreased: depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and hopelessness; Chen et al, 2020 ), social factors (e.g., increased: volunteering, collective connectedness [belonging to a larger social group], perceived social support, orientation to promote good, number of close relatives, decreased loneliness; George & Park, 2013 ; Chen et al, 2020 ; Jongenelis et al, 2021 ; Mei et al, 2021 ), and others (e.g., spirituality, orientation to promote good; George & Park, 2013 ; Weziak-Bialowolska et al, 2021 ). However, these studies are not entirely uniform (e.g., mixed findings with physical activity; Yemiscigil & Vlaev, 2021 ; Zhang & Chen, 2021 ), and many potential antecedents of purpose have been understudied or not studied at all in older adults over 50 years of age (many studies on predictors of purpose contain young and middle-aged participants younger than 45 years of age; e.g., Weziak-Bialowolska et al, 2021 ).…”

Factors Related to Life Satisfaction of Older Adults at Home: A Focus on Residential Conditions

“…Notably, as the perspective on life in old age has become more realistic, efforts to understand and analyze various aspects related to life satisfaction in the elderly have greatly increased. Studies have identified the following factors related to life satisfaction in old age: health status [ 9 , 10 ], economic status [ 11 ], leisure activities, social participation such as volunteering [ 12 , 13 ], social relationships [ 14 , 15 ], living environment [ 16 , 17 ], computer use [ 18 ], employment status [ 19 ], and demographic characteristics [ 20 ].…”

Relationships between Volunteering, Neighbourhood Deprivation and Mental Wellbeing across Four British Birth Cohorts: Evidence from 10 Years of the UK Household Longitudinal Study

“…Furthermore, approximately 7 in 10 respondents reported improvements in their levels of loneliness and their overall mental health and wellbeing [3]. Results from the survey were in line with intervention studies, which showed that participants in the volunteering treatment group were more likely to experience improvements in life satisfaction, purpose in life, and personal growth [8], and were likelier to report fewer depressive symptoms [9]. Engaging in voluntary work is also associated with improved physical health.…”