Structural Effects and Life Satisfaction among the Aged

Abstract

This study investigates whether adjustment, or life satisfaction, is a function of the structural effect of community age density, the behavioral variables of total social interaction and age-graded interaction, or both. The sample contains one hundred eight-five persons seventy years of age and older in a midwestern state who have resided in their community at least five years. Thus, the study examines the influence of community structure on life satisfaction, age-graded interaction, and total interaction in a “real world” setting by using a relatively non-mobile sample. The findings suggest that no significant relationship exists between community structure and either total or age-graded interaction. Age-graded interaction, however, is significantly correlated with life satisfaction in large communities.