Subjective well-being and chronic illnesses: A combined survey and register study

Abstract

Populations are ageing, and higher proportions live with chronic illnesses. Understanding the association between health and well-being and being able to predict who may experience the largest detriment in well-being is essential if societies are to maintain high levels of social welfare. Our study places itself in the limited literature examining the association between chronic illness and subjective well-being (SWB). We offer a unique contribution to the literature by studying different domains of SWB and by investigating variation in SWB. A cross-sectional survey of a representative group of Danish citizens aged 50-80 is linked with national register data containing comprehensive information on health and social issues. We identify six common chronic illnesses. In addition to general life satisfaction, we also measure SWB in seven domains of life, including health, using the Personal Wellbeing Index. Health state is measured by EQ-5D-5L. We use OLS and adjust for socio-demographics, lifestyle, personal skills, preferences, and personality traits. In a range of heterogeneity analyses we explore the role of 22 personal characteristics as predictive factors of SWB when being chronically ill. We also examine two possible sources of variation in SWB. We find robust evidence of negative associations between chronic illness and older individuals’ SWB beyond the health domain. When ascertaining the influence of personal characteristics, we find that some factors predict vulnerability. Interestingly, heterogeneity in SWB across personal characteristics stem from differential health state and in some cases from differences in the association between SWB and health.