Perceived health status and life satisfaction in old age, and the moderating role of social support

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The aim of this study was on one hand to examine the associations between health impairment and life satisfaction, as well as social support and life satisfaction, and on the other, to analyze the moderating effect of social support with regard to health impairment and life satisfaction in a sample of community-dwelling older adults from urban areas of Granada, southern Spain.

Method: This was a cross-sectional survey in which a sample of 406 older adults with ages between 65 and 99 years old (M_age = 74.88, SD = 6.75) was selected. Multiple stepwise regression analysis was used to assess the impact of health impairment and perceived social support on life satisfaction. Moderation analysis was performed using the bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrapping approach.

Results: Significant differences in life satisfaction scores were found by number and type of disease, restrictions in daily life activities and subjective health. Perceived health and perceived social support predicted life satisfaction. Besides global social support, emotional and affectionate support moderated the link between perceived health and life satisfaction.

Conclusions: Older people who do not rate their health status positively and indicate low levels of social support have a higher risk of being dissatisfied with their lives and due to this they should receive special attention from gerontologists.

KEYWORDS:

• Health impairment
• social support
• life satisfaction
• old age
• moderation

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the participants of this study for their cooperation and the committees of the senior activity centers and elderly associations whose cooperation was crucial to this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Secretaría General de Universidades Investigación y Tecnología de la Junta de Andalucía- Programa de Incentivos a los Agentes del Sistema Andaluz del Conocimiento (convocatoria 2009 - BOJA 47 10.03.2009) [The General Secretariat of University, Research and Technology from Junta de Andalucía – Program for the Incentive of the Andalusian Knowledge System (call 2009- BOJA 47 10.03.2009)]; co-financed by the European Social Fund.