Emotional bondedness, subjective well-being, and health in elderly medical patients.

The relationship between social interaction, as measured by a new Emotional Bondedness Scale, health, and subjective well-being were examined in 205 ambulatory medical patients aged 65 to 98 (M = 71.2 years). Health was measured by a Self-Rated Health Scale, a Physician-Rated Health Scale, the Sickness Impact Profile, and the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. Subjective well-being was measured by the Life Satisfaction Index--A and the Affect Balance Scale. A significant correlation was found between emotional bondedness, health, and subjective well-being. Multiple regression analyses revealed that emotional bondedness is a significant predictor of subjective well-being and self-rated health. The variables age, marital status, type of residence, and income were not significantly correlated with either measure of subjective well-being. This study suggests that emotional bondedness has a direct impact on and is closely associated with health and subjective well-being in elderly medical patients.