Psychological and social correlates of life satisfaction as a function of residential constraint

Two questions were addressed in the present study: Do residential setting of varying levels of constraint influence life satisfaction? Do such settings involve different correlates of life satisfaction? A total of 129 male and female ambulatory residents were surveyed in settings of high and low constraint on the following measures: life, satisfaction, developmental task resolution, self-acceptance, perceived autonomy, activity level, health and educational level. Stepwise regression, covariance, and t-test analyses indicated: (1) life satisfaction and developmental task accomplishment were greater in the lower constraining setting; (2) the selected correlates resulted in multiple correlations of .675 and .590 with satisfaction; (3) differing sets of correlates significantly predicted satisfaction in each setting; health the most important in the high constraining setting and perceived autonomy and self-concept important to the low constraining setting; (4) developmental task success significantly predicted satisfaction in both settings.