Comparing the impact of social support on the life satisfaction of widowed and non-widowed elders

AimTo compare differences in life satisfaction between widowed and non-widowed elders based on social support. MethodsA total of 4,560 widowed and 3,655 non-widowed elders were selected from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS-2018). Ordinal logistic regression models and t-tests were performed using SPSS v20. ResultsBoth widowed and non-widowed elders had high levels of life satisfaction. Personal characteristics had a significant impact on the life satisfaction of both widowed and non-widowed elders. Endowment insurance, social trust, residence, self-rated health, and living with family had a significant impact on the life satisfaction of widowed elders (p < 0.001), while endowment insurance, government subsidy, and self-rated health significantly impacted non-widowed elders (p < 0.001). Self-rated health had the greatest impact on the life satisfaction of widowed and non-widowed elders (OR = 4.62/4.45), followed by endowment insurance (OR = 1.24/1.32). ConclusionSocial support can significantly improve life satisfaction, but its impact is heterogeneous. Informal social support plays a greater role in improving the life satisfaction of widowed elders, but formal social support plays a greater role in the life satisfaction of non-widowed elders.

Automated summary

This study aims to compare differences in life satisfaction between widowed and non-widowed elders. The results show that personal characteristics, social support, and health status significantly impact the life satisfaction of older adults. Different types of social support have different effects on widowed and non-widowed elders.