Author(s):
- Leung, Beeto Wai-Chung
- Moneta, Giovanni B.
- McBride-Chang, Catherine
Abstract:
This study developed a dispositional path model of life satisfaction for community dwelling Chinese elderly living in Hong Kong. A sample of 117 elderly completed scales measuring life satisfaction, optimism, self-esteem, relationship harmony, self-construals, and perceived/expected health and financial status. Modeling revealed that life satisfaction was predicted by self-esteem and relationship harmony, which in turn were predicted by independent and interdependent self-construals, respectively. In addition, optimism predicted life satisfaction directly and indirectly through self-esteem and relationship harmony. Financial status mediated entirely the effect of optimism on life satisfaction. Health status was predicted by optimism but did not predict life satisfaction. Optimism is a key contributor to subjective well being because it fosters self-esteem, relationship harmony, and positive perceptions of financial conditions.
Document:
https://doi.org/10.2190/FQTB-EBAJ-H9WP-LMYA
References:
| Abeles, R. P., Gift, H. C., & Ory, M. G. , (Eds.). (1994). Aging and quality of life. New York: Springer. Google Scholar | |
| Albert, M. S., Savage, C. R., Jones, K., Berkman, L., Seeman, T., Blazer, D., & Rowe, J. W. (1995). Predictors of cognitive change in older persons: MacArthur studies of successful aging. Psychology and Aging, 10, 578–589. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Andrews, F. M. , & Withey, S. B. (1976). Social indictors of well-being: America’s perception of life quality. New York: Plenum Press. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Argyle, M. (1986). The psychology of happiness. London: Methuen. Google Scholar | |
| Atchley, R. C. (2000). Social forces and aging: An introduction to social gerontology (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Press. Google Scholar | |
| Baltes, P. B. , & Baltes, M. M. (1990). Successful aging: Perspectives from the behavioral Sciences. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Beckman, L., Seeman, T., Albert, M. S., Blazer, D., Kahn, R., Mohs, R., Finch, C., Schneider, E., Cotman, C., McClearn, G., Nesselroade, J., Featherman, D., Garmezy, N., McKhann, G., Brim, G., Prager, D., & Rowe, J. W. (1993). High usual and impaired functioning in community-dwelling older men and women: Findings from the MacArthur Foundation research network on successful aging. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 46, 1129–1140. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 197, 238–246. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Blankstein, K. R., Flett, G. L., & Koledin, S. (1991). The brief college student Hassles Scale: Development, validation, and relation with pessimism. Journal of College Student Development, 32, 258–264. Google Scholar | ISI | |
| Boland, A. , & Cappeliez, P. (1997). Optimism and neuroticism as predictors of coping and adaptation in older women. Personality and Individual Differences, 22, 909–919. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Brandtstadter, J. , & Renner, G. (1990). Tenacious goal pursuit and flexible goal adjustment: Explication and age-related analysis of assimilation and accommodation strategies of coping. Psychology and Aging, 5, 58–67. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Brief, A. P., Butcher, A. H., George, J. M., & Link, K. E. (1993). Integrating bottom-up and top-down theories of subjective well-being: The case of health. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 646–653. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Browne, M. W. , & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In Bollen, K. A. & Long, J. S. (Eds.), Testing structural equation models (pp. 136–162). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. Google Scholar | |
| Bryant, F. B. , & Veroff, J. (1982). The structure of psychological well-being: A sociohistorical analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43, 653–673. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Buchanan, G. M. , & Seligman, M. E. P. (Eds.). (1995). Explanatory style. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Google Scholar | |
| Butt, D. S. , & Beiser, M. (1987). Successful aging: A theme for international psychology. Psychology and Aging, 2, 87–94. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Campbell, A., Converse, P. E., & Rodgers, W. L. (1976). The quality of American life. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Google Scholar | |
| Carver, C. S. , & Scheier, M. F. (1981). Attention and self-regulation: A control-theory approach to human behavior. New York: Springer-Verlag. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Carver, C. S. , & Scheier, M. F. (1990). Origins and functions of positive and negative affect: A control-process view. Psychological Review, 97, 19–35. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Chang, E. C., Maydeu, O. A., & D’Zurilla, T. J. (1997). Optimism and pessimism as partially independent constructs: Relationship to positive and negative affectivity and psychological well-bring. Personality and Individual Differences, 23, 433–440. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Chang, E. C. , & Sanna, L. J. (2001). Optimism, pessimism, and positive and negative affectivity in middle-aged adults: A test of a cognitive-affective model of psychological adjustment. Psychology & Aging, 16, 524–531. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Cheng, S. T. , & Hamid, P. N. (1995). To drop or not to drop an ambiguous item: A reply to Shek. Perceptual-and-Motor-Skills, 81, 988–990. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Chou, K. L. , & Chi, I. (1999). Determinants of life satisfaction in Hong Kong Chinese elderly: A longitudinal study. Aging and Mental Health, 3, 328–335. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Choy, W. C. W. , & Moneta, G. B. (2003). The interplay of autonomy and relatedness in Hong Kong Chinese single mothers. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 26, 186–199. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95, 542–575. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Diener, E. , & Diener, M. (1995). Cross-cultural correlates of life satisfaction and self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 653–663. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction with Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Diener, E. , & Suh, E. (1998). Age and subjective well-being: An international analysis. Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 17, 304–324. Google Scholar | |
| Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 276–302. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Elderly Commission . (1999). Report of the Elderly Commission 1997–1999. Retrieved March 2, 2000, from: http://www.elderlycommission.gov.hk/en/library/ECREPORT.HTM. Google Scholar | |
| Fisher, B. J. (1995). Successful aging, life satisfaction, and generativity in later life. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 41, 239–250. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Fontaine, K. R. , & Seal, A. (1997). Optimism, social support and premenstrual dysphoria. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 53, 243–247. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Fries, J. F. (1990). Medical perspectives upon successful aging. In Baltes, P. B. & Baltes, M. M. (Eds.), Successful aging: Perspectives from the behavioral sciences. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Fung, H. H., Carstensen, L. L., & Lutz, M. A. (1999). Influence of time on social preferences: Implications for life-span development. Psychology and Aging, 14, 595–604. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Gao, G., Ting-Toomey, S., & Gudykunst, W. B. (1996). Chinese communication processes. In Bond, M. H. (Ed.), The handbook of Chinese psychology (pp. 280–293). Hong Kong: Oxford. Google Scholar | |
| Garfein, A. J. , & Herzog, A. R. (1995). Robust aging among the young-old, old-old, and oldest-old. Journals of Gerontology, 508, 577–587. Google Scholar | |
| Gilham, J. E., Reivich, K. J., Jaycox, L. H., & Seligman, M. E. P. (1995). Prevention of depressive symptoms in school children: Two-year follow-up. Psychological Science, 6, 343–351. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Goodwin, R. , & Tang, C. S. K. (1996). Chinese personal relationships. In Bond, M. H. (Ed.), The handbook of Chinese psychology (pp. 294–308). Hong Kong: Oxford. Google Scholar | |
| Haring, M. J., Stock, W. A., & Okun, M. A. (1984). A research synthesis of gender and social class as correlates of subjective well being. Human Relations, 37, 645–657. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Haring-Hidore, M., Stock, W. A., Okun, M. A., & Witter, R. A. (1985). Marital status and subjective well-being: A research synthesis. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 47, 947–953. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Hazzard, W. R. (1995). Weight control and exercise: Cardinal features of successful preventive gerontology [Editorial]. Journal of the American Medical Association, 274, 1964–1965. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department . (2001). Hong Kong annual digest of statistics. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Government Printer. Google Scholar | |
| Hooyman, N. R. (1996). Social gerontology: A multidisciplinary perspective (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon Press. Google Scholar | |
| Horley, J. , & Lavery, J. J. (1995). Subjective well-being and age. Social Indicators Research, 34, 275–282. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Inglehart, R. (1990). Culture shift in advanced industrial society. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| James, W. (1958). Varieties of religious experience. New York: Mentor. Google Scholar | |
| Jöreskog, K. G. , & Sörbom, D. (1996). LISREL 8: User’s reference guide. Chicago, IL: Scientific Software International, Inc. Google Scholar | |
| June, C. (1933). Modern man in search of a soul. New York: Harcourt. Google Scholar | |
| Kahneman, D. (1999). Objective happiness. In Kahneman, D., Diener, E., & Schwartz, N. (Eds.), Well-being: The foundations of hedonic psychology (pp. 3–27). New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Google Scholar | |
| Krause, N. (1990). Perceived health problems, formal/informal support, and life satisfaction among older adults. Journals of Gerontology, 45, 193–205. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Krause, N. (1991). Stressful events and life satisfaction among elderly men and women. Journals of Gerontology, 46, 84–92. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Krause, N. (1993). Race differences in life satisfaction among elderly men and women. Journals of Gerontology, 48, 235–244. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Krause, N., Jay, G., & Liang, J. (1991). Financial strain and psychological well-being among the American and Japanese elderly. Psychology & Aging, 6, 170–181. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Kwan, V. S. Y., Bond, M. H., & Singelis, T. M. (1997). Pancultural explanations for life satisfaction: Adding relationship harmony to self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 1038–1051. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Lai, J. C. L. (1997). Relative predictive power of the optimism versus the pessimism index of a Chinese version of the Life Orientation Test. The Psychological Record, 47, 399–410. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Lai, J. C. L., Cheung, H., Lee, W. M., & Yu, H. (1998). The utility of the revised Life Orientation Test to measure optimism among Hong Kong Chinese. International Journal of Psychology, 33(1), 45–56. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Leung, J. P. , & Leung, K. (1992). Life satisfaction, self-concept, and relationships with parents in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 21, 653–665. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Markus, H. R. , & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychological Review, 98, 224–253. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Maslow, A. H. (1962). Toward a psychology of being. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Maslow, A. H. (1970). Motivation and personality. New York: Harper & Row. Google Scholar | |
| Munro, B. H. (2001). Statistical methods for health care and research (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Press. Google Scholar | |
| Myers, D. G. , & Diener, E. (1995). Who is happy? Psychological Science, 6, 10–19. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Nussbaum, M. (2000). Women and human development: The capabilities approach. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Pavot, W. , & Diener, E. (1993). Review of Satisfaction with Life Scale. Psychological Assessment, 5, 164–172. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Peterson, C. (2000). The future of optimism. American Psychologist, 55, 44–55. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Rapkin, B. D. , & Fischer, K. (1992). Framing the construct of life satisfaction in terms of older adults’ personal goals. Psychology and Aging, 7, 138–149. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Rowe, J. W. , & Kahn, R. L. (1987). Human aging: Usual and successful aging. Science, 237, 143–149. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Rowe, J. W. , & Kahn, R. L. (1997). Successful aging. The Gerontologist, 37, 433–440. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Ryff, C. D. , & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 719–727. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Scheier, M. F. , & Carver, C. S. (1985). Optimism, coping, and health: Assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies. Health Psychology, 4, 219–247. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Scheier, M. F. , & Carver, C. S. (1992). Effects of optimism on psychological and physical well-being: Theoretically overview and empirical update. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 16, 201–228. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Scheier, M. F., Carver, C. S., & Bridges, M. W. (1994). Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self mastery, and self esteem): A reevaluation of the life orientation test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 1063–1078. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Scheier, M. F., Weintraub, J. K., & Carver, C. S. (1986). Coping with stress: Divergent strategies of optimists and pessimists. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1257–1264. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. In Zanna, M. (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (vol. 25; pp. 1–65). Orlando, FL: Academic Press. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Seligman, M.E.P. (1990). Learned optimism. New York: Knopf. Google Scholar | |
| Seligman, M. E. P. (1998, April). Positive social science. APA Monitor, 29, 5. Google Scholar | |
| Seligman, M. E. P. , & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55, 5–14. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. Oxford University Press: Oxford. Google Scholar | |
| Singelis, T. M. (1994). The measurement of independent and interdependent self-construals. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 20, 580–591. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Synder, C. R. (1994). The psychology of hope: You can get there from here. New York: Free Press. Google Scholar | |
| Taylor, S. E. (1983). Adjustment to threatening events: A theory of cognitive adaptation. American Psychologist, 38, 1161–1173. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Taylor, S. E., Collins, R. L., Skokan, L. A., & Aspinwall, L. G. (1989). Maintaining positive illusions in the face of negative information: Getting the facts without letting them get to you. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 8, 114–129. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Veenhoven, R. (1994). Correlates of happiness: 7,836 findings from 603 studies in 69 nations: 1911–1994. Unpublished manuscript, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Google Scholar | |
| Witter, R. A., Okun, M. A., Stock, W. A., & Haring, M. J. (1984). Education and subjective well-being: A meta-analysis. Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 6, 165–173. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals |