Social relationships and health as predictors of life satisfaction in advanced old age: results from a Swedish longitudinal study

Int J Aging Hum Dev. 1999;48(4):301-24. doi: 10.2190/GX0K-565H-08FB-XF5G.

Abstract

This longitudinal study examines the relationship between family and friend social support, health, and life satisfaction for a single cohort of eighty-year-old persons living in Lund, Sweden. Results indicate that participants who remained in the study are healthier and score higher on life satisfaction when compared with those who either drop-out or die prior to age eighty-three. Even though well-integrated with family and friends, the number of friends decreases significantly from eighty to eighty-three years; those who reported no close friends nearly doubled from eighty to eighty-three years. However, for those with close friends, contact with friends increases with age. In contrast to previous research, a correlational analysis indicates that neither child nor friend support is related to life satisfaction at either eighty or eighty-three years. However, health measures and satisfaction with sibling contact are related to total life satisfaction at age eighty-three only. These findings indicate the multidimensionality of both social support and life satisfaction for the old-old.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Aging / physiology
  • Aging / psychology*
  • Cohort Studies
  • Family Relations*
  • Female
  • Geriatric Assessment
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations*
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Personal Satisfaction*
  • Sweden