Stressful events and life satisfaction among elderly men and women

The purpose of this study was to examine the interrelationships among stressful events, domain-specific assessments of life satisfaction, and global evaluations of life satisfaction. This research was guided by two competing theoretical formulations. According to bottom-up theory, older adults first assess feelings of satisfaction within specific life domains that are based in part on the experiences (i.e., stressors) they encounter in these areas. The domain-specific views are subsequently synthesized to form an overall sense of satisfaction with life as a whole. In contrast, the top-down theory suggests that a person's ongoing sense of satisfaction with life as a whole predisposes him or her to assess satisfaction with specific domains in ways that are congruent with his or her initial sense of global life satisfaction. Analysis of data provided by older participants in a nationwide survey tends to support the bottom-up perspective.