Physical, Social, Psychological, and Environmental Predictors of Life Satisfaction Among Older Adults

Life satisfaction is a multidimensional construct impacted by many variables and needs to be explored within that context. A correlational design was used to survey community-dwelling older adults to determine perceptions of life satisfaction and its association with physical, social, psychological, and environmental factors. The sample was primarily White (n = 474 [93%]) but balanced between male (n = 253 [50%]) and female (n = 258 [50%]). The mean age was 73.1 (SD, 4.8) years. Associations with life satisfaction were evaluated using linear regression models. In multivariable modeling, social isolation, living alone, depression, sleep disturbance, social vulnerability, and physical ability predicted life satisfaction. Physical ability was the only predictor of high life satisfaction. Findings underscore the importance of helping older adults with improvements in physical ability and addressing social, psychological, and environmental influences that may lead to low life satisfaction.