The Association between Life Satisfaction and Self–Reported Health Status in Europe

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 647-657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liisi Kööts–Ausmees ◽  
Anu Realo

Previous research has shown that life satisfaction (LS) and self–reported health status are strongly related to each other. However, it is not clear whether this association holds across different nations or whether certain country–level indicators significantly affect this association. The study was based on nationally representative samples of 32 countries from the first six rounds of the European Social Survey (N = 291 686). Results from hierarchical multilevel modelling indicated that there was a positive association between LS and self–reported health status across countries, but this association was slightly stronger in countries where governments spent less on the health care of their residents. Self–reported health ratings were also more strongly tied to LS judgements in countries where variability in LS ratings was larger. These results suggest that, especially in less wealthy European countries, policies should target reducing overall social inequality and the negative impact of governments’ underinvestment in health care on LS. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Personality Psychology

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jocelyne Clench-Aas ◽  
Ingrid Bergande ◽  
Ragnhild Bang Nes ◽  
Arne Holte

Background: In light of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its large economic consequences, we used a three-layer nested structural model (individual, community, and country), each with a corresponding measure of income, trust, and satisfaction, to assess change in their interrelationships following a global crisis; which, in this study, is the 2008/2009 financial crisis.Methods: With multilevel techniques, we analyzed data from two waves (2006 and 2012) of the European Social Survey (ESS) in 19 countries (weighted N = 73,636) grouped according to their levels of trust.Results: In high trust countries, personal life satisfaction (LS) was not related to personal, community, or national income before or after the crisis. In contrast, in low trust countries, LS was strongly related to all three forms of income, especially after the crisis. In all country groups, personal, social, and political trust moderated their respective effects of income on LS (“the buffer hypothesis”). Political trust moderated the effects of income more strongly in low trust countries. The moderating effect of political trust increased sharply after the crisis. After the crisis, national-level factors (e.g., political trust, national income) increased their importance for LS more than the factors at the local and individual levels. However, the relative importance of all the three forms of income to LS increased after the crisis, to the detriment of trust.Conclusion: Economic crises seem to influence personal LS less in high trust countries compared with low trust countries. Hence, high trust at a national level appears to buffer the negative impact of a financial crisis on personal satisfaction. Overall, the factors at the national level increased their impact during the financial crisis. When facing a global crisis, the actions taken by institutions at the country level may, thus, become even more important than those taken before the crisis.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. e38462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Á. Salinero-Fort ◽  
Rodrigo Jiménez-García ◽  
Laura del Otero-Sanz ◽  
Carmen de Burgos-Lunar ◽  
Rosa M. Chico-Moraleja ◽  
...  

Games ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Elena Druică ◽  
Fabio Musso ◽  
Rodica Ianole-Călin

Given the importance of perceived susceptibility to a disease in adopting preventive behaviors, and the negative impact of optimism bias on prevention, this paper aimed to explore to what extent comparative optimism bias (understood as the tendency to assess a lower probability for oneself to experience negative health events compared to others) is present in the specific context of the Covid-19 pandemic, in two countries with different profiles in terms of the spread of the disease: Italy and Romania. After identifying optimism bias in both countries, we tested whether it depends on respondents’ characteristics like gender, age, education, health status and whether or not they have the opportunity to work from home. We surveyed 1126 Romanians and 742 Italians, and found that optimism bias depends on self-reported health status, and that optimism bias increases with age. Inconclusive evidences were found regarding gender and education level, as well as the option to work from home.


2017 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 392-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sevilay S. Celik ◽  
Yusuf Celik ◽  
Neset Hikmet ◽  
Mahmud M. Khan

This study aimed to examine the determinants of life satisfaction of older adults in Turkey. The sample consisted of 2,959 older adults over 65 years. The effects of psychological, daily life and instrumental activity, physical health and health status, and other important variables on life satisfaction were analyzed. The variables lessening life satisfaction for older adults included poverty, a lower self-reported health status, a decline in physical health, ability to chew, ability to do household activities, and an increase in feelings of depression and feeling social withdrawn. In contrast, being married, having a higher education level, and having an income-generating work increased life satisfaction among older adults. This study suggests the necessity of developing local and national policies that enable older adults to become more active in their communities. These policies should be coordinated under the framework of national aging policies that bridge health, social, and economic issues.


2020 ◽  
Vol 105 (6) ◽  
pp. 1814-1826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salla Karjula ◽  
Laure Morin-Papunen ◽  
Stephen Franks ◽  
Juha Auvinen ◽  
Marjo-Riitta Järvelin ◽  
...  

Abstract Context Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with decreased health-related quality of life (HRQoL), but longitudinal data beyond the reproductive years are lacking, and the impact of isolated PCOS symptoms is unclear. Objective To study generic HRQoL using the 15D questionnaire, life satisfaction, and self-reported health status in women with PCOS symptoms at ages 31 and 46 years. Design A longitudinal assessment using the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. Setting General community. Participants The 15D data were available for women reporting isolated oligo-amenorrhea (OA; at age 31 years, 214; and 46 years, 211), isolated hirsutism (H; 31 years, 211; and 46 years, 216), OA + H (PCOS; 31 years, 74; and 46 years, 75), or no PCOS symptoms (controls; 31 years, 1382; and 46 years, 1412). Data for life satisfaction and current health status were available for OA (31 years, 329; and 46 years, 247), H (31 years, 323; and 46 years, 238), PCOS (31 years, 125; and 46 years, 86), control (31 years, 2182; and 46 years, 1613) groups. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) 15D HRQoL, questionnaires on life satisfaction, and self-reported health status. Results HRQoL was lower at ages 31 and 46 in women with PCOS or H than in the controls. PCOS was an independent risk factor for low HRQoL, and the decrease in HRQoL in PCOS was similar to that of women with other chronic conditions, such as asthma, migraine, rheumatoid arthritis, and depression. The risk for low HRQoL in PCOS remained significant after adjusting for body mass index, hyperandrogenism, and socioeconomic status. Mental distress was the strongest contributing factor to HRQoL. PCOS was also associated with a risk for low life satisfaction and a 4-fold risk for reporting a poor health status. Conclusions Women with PCOS present with low HRQoL, decreased life satisfaction, and a poorer self-reported health status up to their late reproductive years. Assessments and interventions aiming to improve HRQoL in PCOS should be targeted beyond the fertile age.


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 2401-2416
Author(s):  
Renante Adrogado Egcas ◽  
Ryan Michael Flores Oducado ◽  
Jerome Visperas Cleofas ◽  
Judith Solasco Rabacal ◽  
Samson Mahidlawon Lausa

The COVID-19 pandemic has been there for over a year and may substantially negatively impact student’s mental well-being. This study aimed to assess the subjective mental well-being and satisfaction with life of Filipino college students. This cross-sectional study involved the analysis of 1,141 college students in the Philippines. The data were collected using the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Results indicated that while 52.8% reported high satisfaction with life, 40.2% had poor mental well-being. Self-reported health status (β=1.899, p=.000), age (β=0.179, p=.000), and year level (β=0.306, p=.000) predicted mental well-being. On the other hand, subjective mental well-being (β=0.736, p=.000), self-reported health status (β=0.967, p=.000), and age (β=0.691, p=.025) predicted life satisfaction. The COVID-19 pandemic has likely affected students’ mental health and well-being. Interventions should be initiated to address the mental health needs of the students during this pandemic and even beyond the health crisis.


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