Structural differences in life satisfaction in a U.S. adult sample across age

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Gerontology
• Sociology

Background:

• Age-related studies often overlook structural differences in life satisfaction.
• Developmental tasks influence the importance of life domains (health, finances) across ages.
• Life satisfaction's structure and meaning may vary by age group.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the covariance structure of life satisfaction across adulthood.
• Examine how health and financial satisfaction relate to overall life satisfaction.
• Determine if life satisfaction structure differs across adult age groups.

Main Methods:

• Used structural equation modeling to analyze life satisfaction structure.
• Utilized data from 8341 U.S. adults (ages 30-97) from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics.
• Assessed invariance of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and domain satisfaction items across age.

Main Results:

• The structure of life satisfaction (SWLS) and domain satisfaction items were invariant across age groups.
• Health and financial status explained small but significant variance in life satisfaction at all ages.
• No significant differences were found in the integration of health and financial satisfaction into overall life satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• Life satisfaction is qualitatively consistent across the adult lifespan.
• Health and financial satisfaction are consistently integrated into overall life satisfaction.
• The underlying structure of life satisfaction remains stable throughout adulthood.