title: The stability of life satisfaction in a 15-year follow-up of adult Finns healthy at baseline.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While physical health has improved considerably over recent decades in Finland, the disease burden of mental health, especially that of depression, has become increasingly demanding. However, we lack long-term data on the natural course of subjective well-being in the general population. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term course of self-reported life satisfaction.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a 15-year prospective cohort study on a nationwide sample of adult Finnish twins (N = 9679), aged 18-45 and healthy at baseline, who responded to postal questionnaires in 1975, 1981 and 1990 including a 4-item life satisfaction scale (happiness/easiness/interest in life and feelings of loneliness). Life satisfaction score (range: 4-20) was classified into three categories: satisfied (4-6), intermediate (7-11) and dissatisfied group (12-20). The associations between life satisfaction scores during the follow-up were studied with linear/logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Moderate stability and only a slight effect of age or birth-cohort on mean life satisfaction score (LS) were detected. In 1990, 56% of all and 31% of the dissatisfied remained in the same LS category as at baseline. Only 5.9% of the study subjects changed from being satisfied to dissatisfied or vice versa. Correlations between continuous scores (1975, 1981 and 1990) were 0.3-0.4. Baseline dissatisfaction (compared to satisfaction) predicted dissatisfaction in 1981 (OR = 10.4; 95%CI 8.3-13.1) and 1990 (5.6; 4.6-6.8). Multiple adjustments decreased the risk only slightly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Life satisfaction in adult Finns was moderately stable during 15 years. Among an identifiable group (i.e. the dissatisfied) life dissatisfaction may become persistent, which places them at a greater risk of adverse health outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland. heli.koivumaa@kuh.fi
authors.forename: Heli
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koivumaa-Honkanen
authors.forename: Jaakko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaprio
authors.forename: Risto J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Honkanen
authors.forename: Heimo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Viinamäki
authors.forename: Markku
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koskenvuo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000208:ethnology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires