Sociodemographic predictors of elderly's psychological well-being in Malaysia

Abstract

Background and objective: Psychological well-being as one of the most important indicators of successful aging has received substantial attention in the gerontological literature. Prior studies show that sociodemographic factors influencing elderly's psychological well-being are multiple and differ across cultures. The aim of this study was to identify significant sociodemographic predictors of psychological well-being among Malay elders.

Methodology: The study included 1415 older Malays (60–100 years, 722 women), randomly selected through a multistage stratified random method from Peninsular Malaysia. WHO-Five well-being index was used to measure psychological well-being. Data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 13.0.

Results: Using multiple regression analysis a significant model emerged (F(7, 1407) = 20.14, p ≤ 0.001), where age, sex, marital status, and household income were significant predictor variables of psychological well-being among Malay elders. However, level of education, employment status, and place of residence failed to predict psychological well-being.

Conclusion: This study showed that the oldest old, elderly women, unmarried, and the poor elderly people are at risk for experiencing low psychological well-being. Therefore, they need special attention from family, policy makers, and those who work with elderly people.

Keywords:

• psychological well-being
• socioeconomic status
• sex
• older Malaysians
• multiple regression analysis

Acknowledgments

This study is a part of national survey ‘Patterns of Social Relationship and Psychological Well-being’ among Older Persons in Peninsular Malaysia (PSRPWO). This project was funded by Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (IRPA Project no. 04-01-04-SF0479). We are grateful to older persons who participated in this study.