Examined the relationships between social interaction, as measured by a new Emotional Bondedness Scale, health, and subjective well-being in 205 ambulatory medical patients aged 65 to 98. Results indicated a significant correlation between emotional bondedness, health, and subjective well-being. (Author)

Examined responses of self-ascribed handicapped and nonhandicapped persons to six life satisfaction measures to establish their construct validity. Results offered substantial evidence for the construct validity of life satisfaction. (RC)

Examines the structure of the Philadelphia Geriatric Center (PGC) Morale Scale using a multiple indicator structural equation model. Based on the 1968 National Senior Citizens Survey, the model is consistently replicated across four subsamples. The claim that the PGC Morale Scale is multidimensional is only appropriate for first-order factors.…

Studied the influence of the physical and social environment on the well-being of 224 elderly adults. Environmental predictors of well-being were entered into five separate multiple linear regression anlayses. Well-being for this sample was associated with living in well-maintained residential neighborhoods outside the city center. (Author/JAC)

Utilized National Longitudinal Surveys of Mature Men to test effect of retirement on happiness and to analyze an evaluation of retirement item to discern factors that cause lower satisfaction with retirement. Results suggest health factors, recent widowhood, and income have the greatest impact on happiness with life. (Author)

Attempts to replicate research on the activity theory of aging. Behaviorally based activity scales were drawn from daily activity inventories of residents of three retirement communities. Findings support the activity theory. Informal activities had the most positive affect on respondents' life satisfaction. (Author/JAC)

Assessed whether part-time employment affects the perceived health, life satisfaction, and activity of urban retirees (N=55). Program participants were hired to perform park maintenance. Interviews after the 6-month program revealed significant, positive effects of paid employment on measures of perceived health and life satisfaction. (Author/JAC)

Compared the life satisfaction of elderly Whites and Blacks. Showed that most factors influencing life satisfaction of elderly people have similar effects among Blacks and Whites. Although greater numbers of physical impairments lead to lower life satisfaction for both races, the negative effect is considerably stronger among Blacks. (Author/JAC)

Examined the Life Satisfaction Index A (LSIA) by factor analytic techniques. Although the results indicated a strong need for caution, there was evidence of an alternative interpretation of the LSIA that has a degree of consistency across racial and gender categories. These findings raise implicit questions about prior research. (Author/JAC)

Investigated age preferences of older adults (61-89 years) for individuals with whom a relationship may potentially affect life satisfaction. Photographs of young, middle-aged, and old adults were rated by 33 older persons. Found older adults showed preferences for old and middle-aged individuals. (Author)

Integrates the traditional activity theory explanation of adjustment to aging with the aged subculture theory advanced by Rose. A path model to data from two subsamples of older adults. Self-conception is shown to be an important intervening variable between social activity and life satisfaction. (Author)

Studied instruments which measure well-being, life satisfaction, and morale, for structural stability across age and gender in two samples of adults and older adults. Analysis showed four factors that defined dimensions underlying these measures which were constant across age and gender. (WAS)

Studied the stability of happiness for rural, urban, and institutionalized Canadian older adults (N=600). For urban and institutionalized persons housing satisfaction was the main predictor; for rural individuals, health and marital status remained consistent predictors. Results showed that although predictors differ, happiness remains stable in…

Using social exchange theory, examined satisfaction of the primary caregiver with living in a multigenerational household in 99 Midwestern families. Identified important predictors of satisfaction consisting of characteristics of the older person (indicators of dependency status, characteristics of the primary caregiver, and the situational…

Investigated the relationship between aging and church attendance, religiosity, and prayer in a longitudinal study of 338 older Mexican Americans and Anglos. Results showed church attendance and prayer remained stable over time; religiosity increased somewhat. Only church attendance showed a significant effect on life satisfaction, particularly…