Life Satisfaction among Black Urban Elderly

Abstract

Previous research in white aged populations often has been derived from disengagement, activity, or personality theories. The relevance, however, of any of these conceptual frameworks to black aged is problematic because of their development in white samples and the lack of empirical data documenting their applicability to non-whites. The lack of systematic empirical research on black aged, and particularly, on the determinants of life satisfaction, provided the major impetus for the present study. Interview schedules were individually administered to 102 non-institutionalized retired men and women residing in a large urban area. A multiple regression analysis revealed a number of factors related to life satisfaction. The results are supportive of previous studies in white samples but are sufficiently distinct to raise questions regarding the applicability of these prior findings to black aged.