An evaluation of life satisfaction and health – Quality of life of senior citizens

Abstract

Introduction and objective. Modern medicine is still searching for the antecedents which will lead to successful aging. The article discusses the self-perception of life satisfaction and health of senior citizens. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between self-evaluation of life satisfaction and health by senior citizens in comparison to different age groups. Materials and method. The study included 463 persons – 230 men and 233 women. The age of the participants was in the range 16 – 83 years. All participants were asked to fill the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (Fragebogen zur Lebenszufriedenheit – FLZ). The FLZ questionnaire assesses the global life satisfaction of a person and health domain separately. Results. The results show age-related differences in the evaluation of life satisfaction. Accordingly, there is a significant change in health evaluations in different age groups, but there are no significant gender differences in health self-report data. The senior citizens’ assessment of general health, although the lowest among all the age-subgroups, showed significant difference only in relation to the people below 45 years of age. The significant differences in satisfaction from mental health occurred only for the elderly and participants aged 25–34 and 35–44. Conclusions. Life satisfaction is associated with subjective health evaluations. There are two domains (mental health and performance) that are positively evaluated by more than two-thirds of senior citizens. The observed differences challenge stereotypes and prejudices relating to negative aging process. Senior citizens can improve their control beliefs and develop self-regulation and coping skills.