Rey-Beiro Sara, Martínez-Roget Fidel
Doctoral Programme in Psychological Development, Learning, and Health, University of Santiago de Compostela, Avda. Xoán XIII, s/n, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Department of Applied Economics, University of Santiago de Compostela, Avda. Xoán XIII, s/n, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Heliyon. 2024 May 8;10(9):e30842. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30842. eCollection 2024 May 15.
Although determinants of life satisfaction in older adults have been well documented, research has to date failed to fully address the experience of older adults living in places with different levels of urbanization. Furthermore, there are conflictive findings regarding the type of residence environment that offers the greatest benefits for the wellbeing of older adults. Our study proposes an integrative research model to determine the nature of the relationships between loneliness, self-esteem and life satisfaction, with a particular focus on the living environment (rural-urban) of the older adults. Using a cross-sectional survey design volunteers (aged 60+) from rural (n = 198) and urban (n = 198) in Galicia (Spain) completed a questionnaire. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to test the relationships between loneliness, self-esteem and life satisfaction and multigroup analysis was performed to analyse the existence of differences in the relationships based on the area of residence of older adults. We found that higher levels of loneliness were a significant predictor of reduced life satisfaction and reduced self-esteem. Self-esteem not only increases life satisfaction, but also reduces the negative impact loneliness may have on it. Where the older adults lived had a significant effect on the relationships between loneliness, self-esteem and life satisfaction. The relationships were stronger for older adults living in urban areas. Differentiated policy initiatives should be considered, depending on the area of residence in order to increase the life satisfaction of older adults.
尽管老年人生活满意度的决定因素已有详尽记载，但迄今为止的研究仍未能充分探讨生活在不同城市化水平地区的老年人的经历。此外，关于何种居住环境能为老年人的幸福带来最大益处，研究结果存在矛盾。我们的研究提出了一个综合研究模型，以确定孤独感、自尊与生活满意度之间关系的本质，特别关注老年人的居住环境（农村-城市）。采用横断面调查设计，来自西班牙加利西亚农村（n = 198）和城市（n = 198）的60岁及以上志愿者完成了一份问卷。使用结构方程模型（SEM）来检验孤独感、自尊与生活满意度之间的关系，并进行多组分析以分析基于老年人居住地区的关系差异。我们发现，较高水平的孤独感是生活满意度降低和自尊下降的重要预测因素。自尊不仅能提高生活满意度，还能减少孤独感可能对其产生的负面影响。老年人的居住地点对孤独感、自尊与生活满意度之间的关系有显著影响。对于生活在城市地区的老年人来说，这些关系更强。应根据居住地区考虑差异化的政策举措，以提高老年人的生活满意度。
