Terminal decline in well-being: The role of social orientation.

Abstract

Well-being development at the end of life is often characterized by steep deteriorations, but individual differences in these terminal declines are substantial and not yet well understood. This study moved beyond the typical consideration of health predictors and explored the role of social orientation and engagement. To do so, we made use of social variables at the behavioral level (self-ratings of social participation) and the motivational level (valuing social and family goals), assessed two to four years before death. We applied single- and multi-phase growth models to up to 27-year annual longitudinal data from 2,910 now deceased participants of the nation-wide German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP; age at death: M = 74 years; SD = 14; 48% women). Results revealed that leading a socially active life and prioritizing social goals in late life were independently associated with higher late-life well-being, less pronounced late-life decline, and a later onset of terminal decline. Significant interaction effects suggested that the effects of (reduced) social participation and (lowered) social goals were compounding each other.compound. Findings also indicated that less decline in social participation was associated with shallower rates and a later onset of well-being decline. We found little evidence that valuing family goals is associated with late-life trajectories of well-being. Associations were independent of key correlates of well-being and mortality, including age at death, gender, education, disability, hospital stays, and goals in other life domains. We discuss possible pathways by which maintaining social orientation into late life may help mitigate terminal decline in well-being.

Terminal Decline in Well-Being: The Role of Multi-Indicator Constellations of Physical Health and Psychosocial Correlates

“…Such a finding is consistent with the idea that religious beliefs, worldviews, and activity may act as a buffer against stress and thereby contribute to well-being (Ellison, 1991). Our finding that social participation and perceived control were both part of the first leaves of the tree and among the top five variable importance (with social participation having 80% of the importance of the top correlate, disability, and perceived control having 53% of the top correlate) ratings underscores earlier reports of the relevance of these variables for outcomes of successful aging (Baltes & Baltes, 1986) and late-life well-being (Gerstorf et al, 2014;Gerstorf et al, 2016;Wallace et al, 2002).…”

Health sensitivity: Age differences in the within-person coupling of individuals’ physical health and well-being.

“…Moreover, volunteering is only one aspect of social participation. For example, informal social activity (with friends and relatives) and social orientation are known to be relevant for well-being and health, particularly late in life (Gerstorf et al, 2016). It would thus be instrumental to further pinpoint how particular aspects of social orientation may result in reduced health sensitivity, especially because our results suggest that health sensitivity is predictive of mortality hazards.…”

Levels of and changes in life satisfaction predict mortality hazards: Disentangling the role of physical health, perceived control, and social orientation.

“…Also, having an active orientation towards social contacts may help individuals to maintain high levels of well-being by being socially active. Social orientation is associated both with late-life well-being (Gerstorf et al, 2016; Windsor, Gerstorf, & Luszcz, 2015) and reduced mortality risks (Antonucci, 2001; House, Landis, & Umberson, 1988). For example, Barger (2013) reported that social integration predicted lower risk for all-cause mortality over five years in a representative US sample.…”