Volunteering and Subjective Well-Being in Later Adulthood: Is Self-Efficacy the Key?

Abstract

This study investigated age differences in longitudinal effects of volunteering on three facets of subjective well-being (SWB), i.e. positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), and life satisfaction (LS). Both direct and indirect effects with self-efficacy as mediator were tested. Longitudinal structural equation modeling was used on 5,564 participants of the German Ageing Survey (DEAS) aged 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, and 75-84 years. Volunteering was longitudinally directly related to PA and NA, but not to LS. The mediating role of self-efficacy differed between age groups: While volunteering affected self-efficacy only in the older age groups, self-efficacy affected SWB only in the younger age groups. Hence, indirect effects of volunteering on SWB with self-efficacy as mediator were found for the two age groups around retirement only (55-64, 65-74 years). Volunteering is beneficial for SWB not only directly, but also indirectly via self-efficacy. This mechanism is strongest for age groups around retirement. KeywordsVolunteering, subjective well-being, self-efficacy, control beliefs, late adulthood 1 The German Ageing Survey (DEAS) has been funded by the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ).

Cohort Profile: The German Ageing Survey (DEAS)

“…Whereas volunteering affects well-being directly for people aged 45–84 years, it is only in the age groups around retirement (55–74 years) that volunteering turns out to be beneficial for subjective well-being not just by its direct effects, but also indirectly via its effects on self-efficacy. 31 …”

Mediating Role of Self-Concordance on the Relationship Between Internet Altruistic Behaviour and Subjective Wellbeing

“…In the available literature, plenty of researches have been conducted to explore the relationship between altruism and SWB (e.g., Moynihan et al, 2015;Müller, Ziegelmann, Simonson, Tesch-Römer, & Huxhold, 2014;Pareek & Jain, 2012), but little research has elaborated the potential mechanism underlying the relationship between internet altruism and SWB. Is there a possibility that some of the advantages of internet altruism (e.g., anonymity, timeliness, and interactivity) would make a difference in the relationship between altruistic behaviours and SWB?…”

They are Doing Well, but is it by Doing Good? Pathways from Nonpolitical and Political Volunteering to Subjective Well-Being in Age Comparison

“…Research has substantiated this assumption (for reviews, see Anderson et al, 2014;Piliavin & Siegl, 2015;Wilson, 2012), particularly for older volunteers in organizations that provide a supportive environment (Musick & Wilson, 2003;Van Willigen, 2000; but see Bjälkebring et al, 2021). Among other things, improvements in internal control beliefs and social relationships have been discussed as likely pathways from volunteering to a higher SWB (Brown et al, 2012;Fried et al, 2004;Krause et al, 1992;Mellor et al, 2008;Müller et al, 2014;Musick & Wilson, 2003;Pilkington et al, 2012). However, empirical tests of these pathways in a longitudinal framework are scarce and have not addressed moderating factors, such as age (for an exception, see Müller et al, 2014) or type of volunteering.…”