Lifetime trauma, emotional support, and life satisfaction among older adults.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among lifetime exposure to traumatic events, emotional support, and life satisfaction in three cohorts of older adults.


METHODS
Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a nationwide sample of 1,518 older people in 2003. Approximately 500 elders were interviewed in each of the following age cohorts: Young-old (age 65-74), old-old (75-84), and oldest-old (85 and older).


RESULTS
The findings suggest that exposure to lifetime trauma is associated with less life satisfaction in all three age cohorts. The data further reveal that emotional support offsets the effects of trauma on feelings of life satisfaction in the old-old and the oldest-old. The stress buffering properties of emotional support were especially evident in the oldest-old cohort.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings underscore the need to develop interventions that help older people deal more effectively with lifetime trauma. Moreover, the results suggest that interventions providing emotional support may be especially helpful for the oldest-old.
Krause
Neal
N
Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA. nkrause@umich.edu
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D014481:United States