Decline in life satisfaction in old age: longitudinal evidence for links to distance-to-death.
Using 12-year longitudinal data from deceased participants of the Berlin Aging Study (N = 414; age 70-103 years, at first occasion; M = 87 years, SD = 8.13), the authors examined whether and how old and very old individuals exhibit terminal decline in reported life satisfaction at the end of life. Relative to age-related decline, mortality-related decline (i.e., distance-to-death) accounted for more variance in interindividual differences in life satisfaction change and revealed steeper average rates of decline, by a factor of 2. By applying change-point growth models, the authors identified a point, about 4 years before death, at which decline showed a two-fold increase in steepness relative to the preterminal phase. For the oldest old (85+ years), a threefold increase was observed. Established mortality predictors, including sex, comorbidities, dementia, and cognition, accounted for only small portions of interindividual differences in mortality-related change in life satisfaction. The authors conclude that late-life changes in subjective well-being are related to mechanisms predicting death and suggest routes for further inquiry.
Gerstorf
Denis
D
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, PA 16802, USA. gerstorf@psu.edu
Ram
Nilam
N
Röcke
Christina
C
Lindenberger
Ulman
U
Smith
Jacqui
J
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001604:Berlin; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008136:Longevity; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D013223:Statistics as Topic