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

Many studies investigating age-related mean differences in life satisfaction disregard potential differences in the structure of the life satisfaction construct. Because developmental tasks at different life stages vary and thus the salience of specific life domains (e.g., health, finances, relationships, etc.) might differ, life satisfaction might differ between age groups in its underlying structure and meaning.

To address this issue, we investigated the covariance structure of life satisfaction as measured by the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the domains of health satisfaction and financial satisfaction with local structural equation modeling. We analyzed data from 8341 U.S. citizens between the ages of 30 and 97 who participated in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Furthermore, we explored the association of respondents' health and financial status with life satisfaction.

Both the SWLS and domain items were found to be invariant across age. The health and financial status accounted for small proportions of variance in overall life satisfaction and the respective domain satisfactions significantly at all ages.

The current analysis indicates that across the adult age range, general life satisfaction is qualitatively the same, and health and financial satisfaction are equally integrated into overall life satisfaction.