Self-reported sensory impairment and life satisfaction in older French-speaking adults

The purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of sensory impairments to life satisfaction in the elderly. A secondary data analysis was conducted with 826 older French-speaking participants in a larger study. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to determine the role played by 4 sets of variables in life satisfaction. The demographic variables included age, sex, education, and income. The health variables included number of chronic illnesses, functional limitations, and story recall. There were 4 lifestyle variables: social support, social activity, physical activity, and perceived control. The sensory impairment variables included vision and hearing. The final model explained 36% of the variance. All variables except story recall and physical activity were found to be significant. Although health explained a larger percentage of the variance, the sensory impairment variables contributed significantly to the model. The findings indicate that vision and hearing are important components of life satisfaction.