Are Older Adult German Women Satisfied with Their Lives? On the Role of Life Domains, Partnership Status, and Self-Construal

Abstract

Along with increased life expectancy, successful aging and possibilities for increasing well-being in old age have become important research topics in recent years. The present study (a) examines the relationship between satisfaction in several life domains (with respect to family, friendships, and health) and general life satisfaction of older adult women in Germany, and (b) determines which factors moderate the importance of satisfaction in these different life domains for the evaluation of general life satisfaction. More precisely, we examine the role of partnership status and self-construal. The sample consisted of 98 German women between the age of 58 and 83 years (M = 69.6 years; SD = 5.9 years) who were interviewed in the framework of the interdisciplinary and cross-cultural Value of Children Study. Results showed that for women living with a partner, satisfaction with family was most important for their general life satisfaction, whereas for women without a partner, satisfaction with friendships a...