Eastern Illinois University e Keep Masters eses Student eses & Publications 1989 Communication and Aging: Perceptions of Family and Friend Interaction on Self Reported Life Satisfaction Among Selected Residents of ree Nursing Homes Patricia J. Fetzner Eastern Illinois University is research is a product of the graduate program in Speech Communication at Eastern Illinois University. Find out more about the program. is is brought to you for free and open access by the Student eses & Publications at e Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters eses by an authorized administrator of e Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Recommended Citation Fetzner, Patricia J., "Communication and Aging: Perceptions of Family and Friend Interaction on Self Reported Life Satisfaction Among Selected Residents of ree Nursing Homes" (1989). Masters eses. 2528. hps://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/2528
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Eastern Illinois UniversityThe Keep
Masters Theses Student Theses & Publications
1989
Communication and Aging: Perceptions of Familyand Friend Interaction on Self Reported LifeSatisfaction Among Selected Residents of ThreeNursing HomesPatricia J. FetznerEastern Illinois UniversityThis research is a product of the graduate program in Speech Communication at Eastern Illinois University.Find out more about the program.
This is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses & Publications at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Thesesby an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected].
Recommended CitationFetzner, Patricia J., "Communication and Aging: Perceptions of Family and Friend Interaction on Self Reported Life SatisfactionAmong Selected Residents of Three Nursing Homes" (1989). Masters Theses. 2528.https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/2528
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COMMUNICATION AND AGINGs PERCEPTIONS OF FAMILY AND FRIEND
INTERACTION ON SELF REPORTED LIFE SATISFACTION AMONG
SEJ.ECTED RESIDENTS OF THREE NURSING HOMES (TITLE)
BY
Patricia J. Fetzner
THESIS
SUBMITIED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DECREE OF
Master of Arts
IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL, EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
CHARLESTON, ILLINOIS
I HEREBY RECOMMEND THIS THESIS BE ACCEPTED AS FULFILLING
THIS PART OF THE GRADUATE DECREE CITED ABOVE
) I
DATE ADVISER
• �Y.;· • • ,. - •
Abstract
L i f e Sati sfaction
i i
The study o f commun icat ion and aging prov i d e s great
potential for enriching the l ives of the elderly . Of course
t h i s should be of great interest to each of us as we are a l l
inevitably aging . One rap i d l y growing area i n communication
research deals with how communication affects the l i fe
sat i s fac t ion o f the elder l y . O f part icular intere st i s the
attitudinal e f fect of fam i l y and friend interac t i o n .
Earl y research deal i ng w i th the elderly focused o n two
theori es : 1. Activity theory , which i s the idea that
social act i v i ty i s essential to an older person ' s sense o f
well be ing and; 2 . D i sengagement theory , which suggests
that there i s a mutual wi thdrawal of person and soc iety
marked by a decreasing level of ac t i v i t y with age .
Recent years have sparked stud ies dealing with the
qua l i ty o f interac t i o n . Researchers are now saying that i t
is the meaningful interac t ion w i t h othe r s , not merely the
activity , that makes the differenc e .
John Nussbaum's studies ( 1 98 3 , 1 988) were among the
f i rs t to reco g n i ze t h i s new approach . These stud i e s paved
the way for t h i s projec t . The purpose o f this study was
threefold :
1 . to examine the content of interact ion between
elderly i ndi vi duals and the i r fam i l y and f r iends
and this re lationsh i p , i f any , to l i fe
satis faction .
Life S a t i s faction
2 . to determine i f pe rspectives of t hese elderly
peo ple have c hanged towards f r i ends and fam i l y
members s ince coming t o t he nursing home .
3 . to investi gate t he degree o f s e l f- r e ported
s a t i s faction i n t he po pulat ion surveyed.
A l t houg h previous studies dealt w i t h t hree d i f ferent
envi ronments for t he elde r l y , this study i ncluded only
i i i
residents from nu rs ing home s . T he nursing homes included in
t hi s study were Frankfort Terrace i n Frankfor t , I l l i no i s ;
The Imperial i n Jol iet , I l l i noi s ; and Hi l l t o p Convalescent
Center in C harleston , I l l inoi s .
A condensed version o f t he Adult Communication Survey ,
containing 1 5 questions , was adm i n i stered to 7 5 elderly
residents to assess t he interac t i on content of t he elderly
i nd i v i duals between fam i l y and f r i ends in relat ion to l i fe
sat i s faction . The data were then tabulated and averaged .
Re sults s howed t hat f am i l y interact i o n , i n par t icular ,
for al l three nursing homes was very high in relation to
li fe satisfaction. Overall t here were no s i g n i f i cant
d i f ferences i n t he s a t i s fact ion levels among t he t hree
nurs i ng home s . Percept i ons o f fam i l y and fri ends remained
consistent w i t h only non-s i g n i f icant att i tudinal d i f ferences
in an overa l l comparative analys i s .
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Life Sa tisfaction
i v
I would l i ke t o express m y s i ncere thanks to m y adv i s o r ,
D r . Calvin Smith and m y thes i s committee, Dr . Floyd M er r i t t
and Dr . B . F . McC l er r en f o r t h e i r t ime, encouragement and
gu i dance i n thi s r es earch effo r t .
I a l so wish t o express apprec iation t o the staff and
residents at Hi l l top Convalescent Cent er , Frankfort Terrace
Nursing Home and The Imperial Nursing Hom e . Thei r
patience, cooperation and f r i endship made t h i s study
pos s i b l e and their help in i t s execution i s g enuinely
apprec i ated . These people have made my exper i en c e a s a
v o l unteer both st imulating and i n s i ghtful and have g i v en me
a d i f f erent car eer d i r ec t ion for my communi c a t i o n degree.
To my f r i ends i n Cha r l eston for making me mix work and
play and for thei r understand i ng . And to my f r i ends both
" north" and " so u th" for sending me words of encouragement long
d i stance.
Spec i a l thanks goes to my fami l y . My grandparen t s ,
brothers and espec i a l l y my parent s . My mother for her
patience and help i n t er v i ew i ng r es i d ents and my father for
making sure not a possible source was l eft u n exami n ed in my
research effort . W i thout thei r l o v e , support and never
faltering confidenc e in me this thes i s would not have been
comp l et ed .
And l a s t ly , to t h e one who was there w i t h me through
every tort ur o us moment--Samantha--my k i t t en who w i thout her
playful d i stractions could have cost me my san i t y .
Li f e Sat i s faction
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT . . • . . . . i i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . i v
LIST OF TAB LES . . . vi i
Chapter
I . INTRODUCTION . 1
The F i e l d o f Gerontology . . . . . . . . . 1 The F i el d o f Commu n i c a t i on . . . . . . . 2 Commun i c a t i on and A g i ng . . . . . . . . . 3 The Adult Communication Sur vey . . . . . . 3 Nurs i ng Home Data . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Need for A g i ng Stud i es . . . . . . . . . . 5 The Problem . . . . . . . . 6 The Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
I I . RESEARCH QUESTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
I I I .
De f i n i t ions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
REVIEW OF LITERATURE . 1 0
Introduction . . . . . . . 1 0 The Act i vi t y Theor y . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 The D i s engagement Theory . . . . . . . . 1 2 Lonl i ness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 Nussbaum' s Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 Fam i l y and F r i ends . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Summary o f Literature . . . . . 2 3
I V . METHOD AND PROCEDURE 2 5
The Subjects . . . . . The Survey . . . . . . . Data Co l l e c t i o n . Lim i ta t i ons . .
V . RESU LTS
. . . . . . 2 5 t t • t e I 2 5
. . . . 3 1 . . . . . . 3 1
. .3 2
Average Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 Marital Status . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 Frequency o f I n t erac t i o n . . . . . . . . . 3 2 Closeness o f Interact ion . . . . . . . . . 3 4 Top i c o f D i scussion . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 5
v
Life Sat i s faction
L i f e Sat i s faction . Achievement o f Goals . . . . .
Fam i l y and F r i end Impact on Success . Overall Perceptions . S ummary of Results .
V I . CONCLUSIONS .
Family and F r i end Interact i on Perceptions . D i f ferences . .
. 3 7 . 3 7
. . 3 8 . 3 8
. 3 9
. 4 4
. 4 4
. 4 6
. 4 6
VI I . RESULTS SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS . . 49
S ummary . Recommendations
REFERENCES
APPENDICES .
Appendix A . Appendix B Append i x C .
. . 49 . 50
. 5 1
. 5 4
. 5 4 5 6
. . 5 8
v i
Table
1 .
2 •
3 .
4 .
5 .
6 .
LIST OF TABLES
Average Age o f I nd i v iduals . . . .
M ar i t al S t atus of I nd i v iduals .
N umber of V i s i t s per Year . .
Closeness Felt by Indiv i duals .
Achievement o f Desired Goals .
Success Considerat ions .
L i fe Sat i sf ac t i o n
• . 4 1
4 1
• 4 2
42
. • 4 3
• • • 4 3
v i i
I . INTRODUCTION
L i fe S at is f ac t i o n
1
The ag i ng process has both f as c i nated and f rightened
man s i nce the begi nni ng of t ime (Nussbaum , 1 98 3 b , p . 3 1 3 ) .
For years researchers have studied ag i ng i n the areas o f
psychology and soc iology . A nd s i nce the mid- sevent i e s there
has been g row i ng i nterest i n the communicat i o n needs o f
older persons and those who r e l ate t o them . The i mport ance
of t h i s l atter area of study i s best stated by Carm i c hael ,
Botan and Hawkins (1 988 , p . ix ) :
"We feel that the att e nt i o n to the commun i c at io n aspects o f ag i ng i s w arranted because w h i l e the ag i ng have commu nicative needs which are common to all peopl e , these needs must be met somewhat d i fferently as a re sult of the ag i ng process and the images which people have of i t . "
The Field of Geront o l ogy
Ge rontology i s a f ield that bri ngs together i nformat io n
about ag i ng and older people (Decke r , 1 980 , p . 4 ) .
F r i ends 11 ( 4 4 % ) 1 1 (5 5 % ) 6 (2 0 % ) 2 7 ( 3 6 % )
F i nanc i a l 7 (2 8 % ) 5 ( 2 5 % ) 6 (2 0 % ) 1 8 ( 2 4 % ) Security
V I . CONCLUSIONS
L i fe S a t i sfact ion
4 4
Unl i k e previous studi e s o f l i fe sat i s f ac t ion , t h i s
i nv es t i ga t i o n p o i n t s t o the i mportance o f i nterac t i on
frequency and f e l t c l o seness o f fam i ly and f r iend
interac t i on as indicators of s a t i s f a c t i o n w i t h l i fe as a
who l e .
Fam i ly and F r i e nd Interact ion
The data suppo r t s the idea o f high importance o f fam i l y
and f r iends on l i fe s a t i s fac t i on , espec i a l l y that o f fam i l y .
Whether i t be out o f o b l i g a t ion o r not , our s t rongest t i es
seem t o be w i t h f am i l y suppo r t i ng the f ind i ng s of Atchley in
19 8 3 ( p . 202 )
Most often relat i o n s h i ps w i t h sons and daughters are
where o b l i g ator y fee l i ngs are expres sed . For examp l e , the
el d erly may feel that sons or daughters f e e l they are
ob l i g ated to v i s i t because i t is the " proper" thing for a
son o r daughter t o do . The e l d e r l y person may feel the i r
reason f o r v i s i t ing i s to check on health o r f i nanc e s .
S i b l i n g bonds are more independent l y assoc i ated , serving a
soc i al func t i o n . F o r i nstance , s i b l ings v i s i ted t o t a l k
about younger years and fam i l y as opposed to che c k i ng u p on
t h e i r brother or s i s t e r . Even host i l e fee l i ng s a s s o c i ated
w i t h s i b l ing r i v a l r y d i s s ipate as i n d i v i d u a l s age . That i s ,
L i fe Sat i sfaction
4 5
o l d wounds are healed and matu r i t y brings recon c i l i at i on
( McGhee , 1 9 8 5 , p . 8 5 - 86 ) .
T hi s s i b l i n g bond i s espec i a l l y important among elderly
i n d i v iduals with no c h i l d ren . The study ' s results showed
that people w i thout c h i l d ren seemed to have the most
frequent inte rac t i on w i t h s i b l i ngs . This supports
C i c erel l i ' s ( 1 983 ) f indings that s i b l i ngs do m a i n t a i n
contact w i t h o n e another i n l a t e r l i f e . I n f a c t some s t ud i e s
state l i fe s a t i s f a c t i o n i s h i gher among the c h i l d l es s , o r i f
they have had c h i ldren , s a t i s f ac t i on increases after
c h i l dren have left home ( Rempel , 1 98 5 , p . 3 4 3 ) .
Most a l l respondents s a i d a fam i l y made t he i r l ives
successful . Those who d i d not have a fam i l y responded that
that lack was a maj or e l ement among unachieved goal s .
The study also revealed other factors w h i c h were
of s i gn i f i c ant importance for l i fe s a t i s f ac t i o n . Health and
f i nanc i a l status were two of these . For i n s tance hea l t h
seems to a f fect a l l aspects o f o u r l ive s . An older
i n d i v idual i n poor hea l t h tends t o be more d i ssat i s f i ed w i t h
h i s/her family l i fe than those i n good health ( L i ang ,
Dvork i n , Kahana and Maz i a n , 1 9 8 0 , p . 7 4 9 ; Medley , 1 9 7 6 , p .
4 54 ) . T h i s could be due t o f e e l ings o f putt i ng an extra
burden on fam i l y or it could devolve into the negat i v i s m of
depre s s i o n .
Sat i s fa c t i o n w i t h family l i fe i s also related t o
f i nanc i al s a t i sfacti on ( L iang , Dvork i n , Kahana and M a z i an ,
1 98 0 , p . 7 4 9 ) .
L i f e Sat i s faction
4 6
T h i s relates t o the need t o take care o f
ourselves and be in control o f o u r l ives ( Do yl e , 1 98 4 , p .
4 4 3 ) . I f we are dependent on others , we do not have that
desi red contro l .
Overal l , the f i n d i ngs in t h i s study were very c lose to
those of Medley ( 1 9 7 6 ) . S a t i s faction w i t h fam i l y l i fe
seemed to make the greatest s in g l e impact on general l i fe
s a t i s f ac t i o n . Heal t h , f r iends , and f i nanc ial s ec u r i ty were
the other s i g n i f icant factors in the l i fe s a t i s fac t i o n
compl ex .
Percept ions
The overall percep t ions of e l d e r l y i n d i v i duals toward
the i r fam i l y and f ri ends seemed not to change from p o s i t ive
to negat ive or v ic e versa upon coming to the nurs ing home .
The most prominant reasons f o r any type o f att i tude change
appeared to be when the elderly i n d i v idual was conf ined to a
n u r s i ng home contrary to h i s / her own choice ( N ussbaum ,
1 9 8 3 b , p . 3 1 8 ) .
D i f ferences
The d i f ference among nurs ing homes in d i f ferent areas
was not s i g n i f i cant . I t was expected there would be great
d i f ferenc e s in c l oseness and in terac t i o n frequency because
of d i fferences in location and popu l a t i o n m i x . The response
cons i stency may have been because much of the i nforma t i on
L i fe Sat i s fac t i o n
o b t a i ned from the que s t i onn a i r e w a s a report o f each
r es ident ' s own percept i o n s . Actual observ a t i o n o f
i nt e r ac t i on between f am i l y and f r i ends could provide more
accurate cue s .
4 7
M y own observat i ons a s a v o l un t e e r showed some
d i f ferences that d i d not come out in the questionna i r e . A l l
three nurs i ng homes were exc e l l ent care fac i l i t i e s .
Howev e r , the care a t H i l l top Conval escent Center seemed o f
h i ghest qual i t y . The res idents there were more content to
be a t the nurs i ng home and the s t a f f seemed more interested
i n interac t ing w i t h t h e r e s i dent s . The pace seemed
l e s s rushed . S t a f f e r s took t ime t o stop and t a l k o r g ive
res id en t s a hug or k i s s . I f e e l t h i s was a real bond i ng
el ement for the r e s i d en t s . Th i s was shown i n the H i l l top
survey resu l t s when s t a f f and nurses were cons i st e n t l y named
as f r i ends . I t seemed that Frankfort T e rrace and The
Impe r i a l l e t the " pr o f e s s i o n a l " ( more i mpersonal )
r e l a t i on s h i p between nurses and p a t i ents supersede any
r e l a t i o n s h i p of an a f f e c t i v e nature ( Nu s s baum, 1 98 3 a , p .
2 4 1) . For exampl e , one r e s ident s a i d " they don ' t talk t o us
and that hurt s . "
One reason f o r H i l l t op ' s more personal i z e d care could
be that most r e s i d e n t s are from the imme d i a t e Charleston
area . Therefo re , the s t a f f had probably known some of the
r e s i d e n t s years before they came to H i l l to p . Another factor
L i fe Sat i s fac t i o n
could be the s i ze of the fac i l i t y . W i t h o n l y 7 4 res idents
the poss i b i lty of numerous one - on- one interact ion was
greate r .
4 8
A t Frankfort Terrace and The Impe r i a l , r e s i dents come
from a much larger surround i ng area . T h i s could be a reason
that observed c l oseness was not as h i g h as at H i l l top .
People i n the urban/ indu s t r i a l center n u r s i ng homes were
l i kely new fac e s . T i me was needed at the homes to get to
know one anothe r . At H i l ltop some bond ing was l i ke l y formed
before several local res idents came to the fac i l i t y .
L i f e Sat i sf ac t i o n
4 9
VI I . RESULTS SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
Overal l , most nu r s i ng home res idents seemed to be
content . T h i s i s not t o say that i f they had a choice they
would not choose to be e l sewhere . I t merel y means that
contrary to popular be l i e f , s i nce they had to be there , they
adjusted .
On the who l e , mos t res i dents seem sat i s f ied w i t h the i r
l i ves and are mov ing through the i r e l de r l y years w i th
pos i t ive att i tude s . Al though r e s i dents may not have
achieved a l l goals i n l i f e , they were proud o f the goals
they d i d achieve . Thi s cont r i buted t o the i r current
general l y p o s i t ive a t t itude and seemed to enhance the
communi cat ive atmosphere .
Those dwe l l i ng on the i r f a i lures seem to have a more
negat ive outlook . Thi s i n h i b i t s a pos i t ive communi c a t i ve
atmosphere .
In mak i ng recommendat i o ns based on t h i s study , i t seems
c l e a r that i t i s important to keep elderly res idents in the
nurs i ng home as a c t i ve as po s s i ble . And probably most
important of al l , the s t a f f and v i s i t o rs should take an
extra few m i nutes to l e t them know they are cared for and
loved . No one should ever feel forgotten and u s e l e s s . What
we often forget i s that we too w i l l be e l d e r l y i n d i v iduals
someday .
L i fe S a t i sfac t i o n
Recommendations
Several sug g e s t i on s for further researchers have
surfaced as a r esult o f t h i s study . These research
sugge s t i ons i n c l ude :
5 0
1 . A more exac t i ng de f i n i t i o n o f what i s meant b y the
term " el d e r l y . " Many of the studies I found
labeled those aged 6 5 as e l de r ly . T h i s was true
years ago . Howeve r , today people are l iv i ng to be
cons i der ably o l der and age 6 5 i s no longer
c o n s i dered e l d e r l y i n the sense that it connotes
cons iderable loss of t h i nk i n g and speak i n g and
mob i l i t y s k i l l s ( Aldous , 1 9 8 7 , p . 2 2 8 ) .
2 . Wh i l e the survey used was u s e fu l , i t needed to be
adjusted . The l i st o f f r i ends needed t o spec i fy
the r e l a t i o n s h i p e . g . n e i ghbo r , nurse , to g ive a
better i n d i c a t i o n o f length o f f r ie nd s h i p and
degree of i nt imacy .
L i fe Sat i s f ac t i o n
REFERENCES
Aldous , J . ( 1 9 8 7 ) . New v iews on the fam i l y l i f e o f the e l d e r l y and the near-elderl y . Journal o f Marr iage and the Fami ly, 4 9, 2 2 7 - 2 3 4 .
5 1
Atchl e y , R . C . ( 1 988 ) . I n t roduc t i on t o s o c i a l geront o l og y . I n C . W . Carmichae l , C . H . botan & R . Hawkins ( Eds . ) , Human Communi ca t i o n and the Agi ng Process ( pp . 3 - 8 ) . Prospect H e i g ht s , I L : Waveland Pre s s , I nc .
Adams , D . L . ( 1 96 9 ) . Ana l y s i s o f a l i fe s a t i sfact ion index . Journal o f Gerontology, 2 4 , 4 , 4 7 0 -4 7 4 .
Bel l , R . R . ( 1 9 8 1 ) . Worlds o f f r iendship . Bev e r l y H i l l s , CA : Sage Publ i ca t i ons .
Carmich ae l , C . W . , Botan , C . H . & Hawk i n s , R . ( 1 98 8 ) . Human Communi ca t i o n and the Agi ng Process . Prospect H e i g ht s , I L : Waveland Pres s , I nc .
C i c i re l l i , V . G . ( 1 983 ) . Adul t c h i l dren and the i r e l d e r l y parents . I n T . H . Brubaker ( Ed . ) , Fam i l y Re l a t i o n s h i ps i n Later L i fe ( pp . 3 1 - 6 2 ) . Beve r l y H i l l s , CA : Sage Publ i c a t i ons .
Conne r , K . A . , Powe r s , E . A . , & Bultena , G . L . ( 1 9 7 9 ) . S o c i a l i nterac t i o n and l i fe sat i s f ac t i o n : an emp i r ical assessment of l a t e- l i fe patterns . Journal of Geronto log y , 3 4 , 1 , 1 1 6 - 1 2 1 .
Dance , F . E . X . ( 1 98 8 ) . I ntroduc t ion to communicat i o n . I n C . W . Carm i c hae l , C . H . Botan & R . Hawki n s ( Ed s . ) , Human -'"C-'o""'m=m=-u=n==i"""c""'a.._t"""1"""· o=-=n'--"a=n-=-d=--=t""'h'"""e'---'A=g==i""'n=g�P=-=-r"""'o"""c'-"e""""'s""'s� ( pp . 9 - 1 9 ) . Prospect H e i g ht s , I L : Waveland Pres s , I n c .
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54
Append ix A
L i fe Sati sfac t i on Index A ( LSIA )
Here are some statements about l i fe i n general that people feel d i ffeently about . Would you read each statement on the l i st , and i f you agree w i th i t , put a check mark in th e space under AGREE . I f you do not agree with a statement , put a check mark i n the space under DI SAGREE . I f you are not sure one way o r the othe r , put a check mark in the space under ? . Please be sure to answer every que stion on the l i st .
( Ke y : and 0
score 1 point f o r each agree , 0 points for each ? , points f o r each d i sagree answer .
1 . As I grow olde r , things seem better than I thought they would be .
2 . I have gotten more o f the breaks in l i fe than most of the people I know .
3 . T h i s i s the drear iest t ime o f my l i fe .
4. I am j ust as happy as when I was young e r .
5 . My l i fe could be happ i e r than i t i s now .
Agree Di sagree ?
6 . These are the best years o f my l i f e . �-
7 . Most o f the things I do are b o r i ng o r monotonous .
8 . I expect some intere s t i ng and pleasant thing s to happen to me in the future .
9 . The t h i ng s I do are as intere s t i ng to me as they ever were .
1 0 . I feel old and somewhat t i red .
1 1 . I feel my age , but it does not bother me .
L i f e S a t i s f a c t i o n
1 2 . As I l o o k back on m y l i f e , I a m f a i rl y w e l l sat i s f i e d .
13 . I would not change my past l i f e even i f I coul d .
14 . Compared to other people my age , I ' ve made a lot of foo l i sh dec i s i ons i n my l i f e .
15 . Compared t o other peop l e my age , I make a good appearanc e .
1 6 . I have made plans for t h i n g s I ' l l be doing a month or a year from now .
17 . When I t h i n k back over my l i f e , I d i dn ' t get most o f the important things I wanted .
18 . Compared t o other people , I get down in the dumps too often .
1 9 . I ' ve gotten pretty much what I expected out of l i f e .
2 0 . I n s p i t e o f what people say the l o t o f the average man i s g e t t i n g worse , not bett e r .
5 5
L i fe Sati s f ac t i on
Appe n d i x B
L i fe Sat i s fa c t i o n Index B ( LS I B ) ( w i t h s c o r i ng key )
5 6
Would you please comment freely i n answer to the f o l l o w i ng que s t i on s ?
1 . What a r e t h e b e s t t h i ng s about b e i n g t h e a g e y o u are now?
1 - - -po s i t i ve 0 - - -negat i ve
2 . What do you t h i n k you w i l l be d o i ng f ive years fom now? How do you expect t h i n g s w i l l be d i f f e rent from the way they are now , i n you l i f e ?
2 - - -bette r , o r no change 1 - --cont i ngent- - " I t depends" 0 - --worse
3 . What i s the most important t h i ng in your l i fe r i ght now?
2 - - - anything out s i d e o f s el f , or pleasant i nterpretat i o n of future .
1 - - - " hang i ng on" -- keeping heal th , or j o b 0 - - - g e t t i ng out o f present d i f f i c u l t y , o r " no t h i n g
no'-' , " o r reference to t h e pas t .
4 . How happy would you say you are r i ght now , compared w i t h the ear l i e r periods in your l i f e ?
2 - - - t h i s i s t h e happ i e s t t ime ; a l l have been happy ; o r , hard to make a c h o i c e
1 - - - some decrease i n recent years 0 - - -ear l i e r periods were be t te r , t h i s i s a bad t ime .
5 . Do you ever worry about your ab i l i t y t o do what peopl e expect o f you- -t o meet demands that people make on you?
2 - - -no 1 - - - qual i f i e d yes or no 0 - - - yes
L i fe Sati sfac t i on
6 . I f you could do anything you pleased , i n what part of I l l ino i s would you most l ikely l ive .
2 - - - present locat i on 0 - --any other locat i on
7 . How o ften do you f ind yourse l f fee l i ng lonely?
2 - - - never ; hardly ever 1 - --sometimes 0 - - - fa i r l y often ; very o ften
8 . How often do you feel there i s no point i n l i v i ng?
2 - - -never ; hardly ever 1 - - - sometimes 0 - - - f a i r l y o ften ; very often
9 . Do you w ish you could see more o f your c l o s e f r i ends than you do , or would you l i ke more t ime to yoursel f ?
2 - - - o k as i s . 0 - - - w i s h could see more o f f r i e nds 0 ---wi sh more t i me t o s e l f
1 0 . How much unhapp iness wou l d you say you f i nd i n your l i fe today?
2 - --almost none 1 - - - some 0- - -a great deal
1 1 . As you get older , would you say t h i n g s seem to be be tter or worse than you thought they would be?
2 - - - better 1 - - - about as expected 0 - - -worse
1 2 . How sat i s f i e d would you say you are w i t h your way o f l i fe?
2-- -very sat i s f i ed 1 - - - fa i rly sat i s f ied 0 - - - not very sat i s f ied
5 7
L i fe Sat i sfaction
Appendix C
L i fe Sat isfac t i on Index Z ( LS I Z )
( Ke y : 2 poi nts for each agree , 1 point f o r each ? , and 0 points for each d i sagree answer .
1 . I am just as happy as when I was young e r .
Agree D i sagree
2 . These are the best years o f my l i f e · �-
3 . T h i s i s the drear iest t ime of my l i fe .
4 . Most of the t h i n g s I do are bo r i ng or monotonous .
5 . Compared to other peopl e , I get down in the dumps too o f te n .
6 . The t h i ng s I do are a s interesting to me as they ever were .
7 . I have made plans for things I ' l l be doing a month or a year from now .
8. As I grow older , things seem better than I thought they would be .
9 . As I look back on my l i fe , I am f a i r l y we l l sat i s f i e d .
1 0 . I ' ve gotten pretty much what I expected out of l i f e .
1 1 . When I t h i nk back over my l i fe , I didn ' t get most of the important t hings I wanted .
1 2 . I n s p i te o f what people say , the lot of the average man i s get t i ng wo rse , not better .
1 3 . I have gotten more of the breaks i n l i fe than most o f the people I know .