Life Satisfaction among the Very Old: A Survey on a Cognitively Intact Sample Aged 90 Years or Above

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to measure life satisfaction and the factors believed to influence it. The study involved 105 very old people, ninety years and above, who were not cognitively impaired, living in the inner part of Stockholm, Sweden. In order to assess life satisfaction, the Life Satisfaction Index-B (LSI-B) and Life Satisfaction Index-Z (LSI-Z) were used. Information about life events, activities, personality and social contacts were collected in order to determine their relative influence on life satisfaction. Factors associated with life satisfaction were also investigated in a content analysis to find out what the elderly themselves believe gives them life satisfaction. Results showed that health and an emotionally stable personality were, independently of other factors, the most important factors for life satisfaction among the very old.