Subjective Well-being among the Rural Elderly

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between psychosocial factors and subjective well-being among rural elderly persons. A broad range of psychosocial factors (such as mastery, social support, and perceived health) and measures of well-being (such as positive and negative affect and life satisfaction) were employed in bivariate correlation, canonical correlation, and multiple regression analysis. The findings show significant relationships between subjective well-being measures and psychosocial factors that are concomitant with other populations, both elderly and general. This study is an investigation of the subjective well-being of the rural elderly population. A growing body of knowledge is developing that furthers our understanding of the subjective well-being of the general population of the United States [ 1, 21 , and with this increase in understanding is a concomitant increase in interest in the subjective well-being of subcategories of the population such as the aged. AGE VARIATION IN SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING We know that subjective well-being varies across the life span [3] ; as students of life course have long observed, life experiences, subjective interpretations, and needs change as we move from young adulthood through the middle years and into older age [4]. The reasons for change are myriad and include social, psychological, and health factors. 193