Examining the Effect of Health Status on Changes in Life Satisfaction in Older Adults

Abstract

Life satisfaction is a key indicator of subjective well-being, and an important quality-of-life indicator in gerontology. In this paper, we use Korean welfare panel data for the years from 2017 to 2020 (N=5810) to examine the trajectory of life satisfaction over time and understand how older adults' health status affects the trajectory of life satisfaction. The Latent Growth Curve Model (LGCM) was used and main results are as follows. First, the life satisfaction of older adults showed a non-linear (quadratic) change over the study period. Specifically, life satisfaction showed a slight increase and then a slight decrease over time. Second, depression, self-esteem, and self-rated health significantly affect change in life satisfaction in older adults. In other words, older adults with low levels of depression and high levels of self-esteem and self-rated health had higher levels of life satisfaction. In this regard, more programs and social welfare services should be implemented to enable older adults to reduce depression, increase self-esteem, and improve self-rated health, thereby increasing their life satisfaction.