Interdisciplinary Ageing Research, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Robert-Mayer-Str. 1, D-60325 Frankfurt, Germany.
Gerontologist. 2011 Apr;51(2):238-50. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnq096. Epub 2010 Nov 19.
Given age-related health restrictions, the importance of the environment for life satisfaction may increase in later life. This study investigated whether objective and perceived physical and social environmental aspects of the home and of the surrounding neighborhood represent resources for or risks to life satisfaction among young-old and old-old individuals.
A population-based sample of 381 community-dwelling individuals aged 65-94 years reported on their sociophysical environment and life satisfaction using questionnaires.
On average, young-old differ from old-old in indoor physical environmental indicators but not in neighborhood characteristics or social aspects of housing. Regression analyses revealed that apartment size, perceived neighborhood quality, and outdoor place attachment explained life satisfaction independently, whereas social housing aspects played only a minor role. Separate analyses for both age groups revealed age differential explanation patterns. Apartment size was positively related to life satisfaction in the young-old but was negatively related in the old-old. For the old-old, perceived neighborhood quality and outdoor place attachment were more important than for the young-old. Living with others was positively related to life satisfaction only for the young-old.
Environmental characteristics at home and in the neighborhood need to be considered to better understand differential processes of aging in place with respect to well-being.
随着年龄的增长，健康受到限制，环境对生活满意度的重要性可能会在晚年增加。本研究调查了家庭和周围社区的客观和感知的物理和社会环境方面是否代表了年轻老年人和老老年人生活满意度的资源或风险。
一项基于人群的样本，由 381 名年龄在 65-94 岁的居住在社区的个体使用问卷报告了他们的社会物理环境和生活满意度。
平均而言，年轻老年人与老年人在室内物理环境指标上存在差异，但在邻里特征或住房的社会方面没有差异。回归分析显示，公寓面积、感知邻里质量和户外场所依恋独立解释了生活满意度，而社会住房方面的作用较小。针对两个年龄组的单独分析揭示了年龄差异的解释模式。公寓面积与年轻老年人的生活满意度呈正相关，但与老年人呈负相关。对于老年人来说，感知邻里质量和户外场所依恋比年轻人更重要。与他人一起居住仅与年轻老年人的生活满意度呈正相关。
需要考虑家庭和邻里环境的特点，以更好地理解与幸福相关的就地老龄化的不同过程。
