Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate whether life satisfaction and depressive symptoms are independent predictors of mortality in a non-Western sample of adults. The sample included 5,131 adults (ages 50-95 at baseline) in Taiwan who participated in the Survey of Health and Living Status of the Near Elderly and Elderly. There were 1,815 deaths recorded over a 10-year period. Higher life satisfaction significantly predicted lower risk of mortality after controlling for age, sex, education, marital status, and health status. Depressive symptoms significantly predicted higher risk of mortality. A significant interaction with age revealed that the protective effect of life satisfaction weakened with age. The results suggest that life satisfaction and depressive symptoms independently predict mortality risk in adults.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 696-702 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Psychology and Aging |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 2009 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Social Psychology
- Aging
Keywords
- Taiwan
- depressive symptoms
- life satisfaction
- mortality