Abstract :
[en] Reviews research on subjective well-being in older adults and describes remaining desiderata. After introducing the topic of subjective well-being (SWB) in older adults, various policy questions related to that topic are formulated. Then the major advances in research are described. These refer to a conceptual clarification and measurement issues of SWB and related concepts (e.g., life satisfaction), the internal structure of SWB, the theoretical status of SWB in causal networks, main findings about the developmental course, causes, and consequences of SWB in older adults, and theoretical models about SWB regulation in this population. Based on that, remaining gaps in knowledge and potential research directions for SWB especially in older adults are highlighted. These are related to the measurement of SWB, the limited age range and age segmentation in empirical studies on SWB, the causes of SWB and its regulation as well as effective policy measures to promote SWB. Then, the current state of European infrastructures and desirable developments related to research on SWB in older adults are described (large-scale longitudinal studies on aging, regular representative surveys of the general and the older population, international research cooperations and networks). Finally, the significance of the available and expected future knowledge for social policy decision making is discussed.
Disciplines :
Social, industrial & organizational psychology
Social & behavioral sciences, psychology: Multidisciplinary, general & others
Scopus citations®
without self-citations
12