1. Temporary Setback or Lasting Challenge? The Impact of Transient and Persistent Functional Disability on Later-Life Well-Being.
- Author
-
Köhler T and Vanhoutte B
- Subjects
- Humans, Male, Female, Aged, Longitudinal Studies, Europe, Depression psychology, Depression epidemiology, Middle Aged, Aging psychology, Aging physiology, Aged, 80 and over, Activities of Daily Living psychology, Quality of Life psychology, Personal Satisfaction, Disabled Persons psychology, Disabled Persons statistics & numerical data
- Abstract
Objectives: Although most people spend the last years of their life with health limitations, these do not arise at the same time point for everyone or have the same consequences for our well-being. The aim of this study is to investigate how well-being trajectories evolve after the onset of functional disability, comparing affective, cognitive, and eudemonic dimensions, while also assessing how they are influenced by temporary functional disability, distinguishing between persistent and transient cases., Methods: We reordered longitudinal panel data from Waves 4 to 8 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, from more than 3,500 Europeans to align on the transition from no limitation to at least 1 limitation in activities of daily living. We used linear spline growth models separately for each of the 3 well-being measures used (EURO-D, CASP, life satisfaction) to examine trajectories., Results: We observed a substantial decline in all 3 well-being measures at functional disability onset, with life satisfaction less affected (standardized mean differences = -0.11) than quality of life (-0.23) and depression (-0.27). Short-term disability on average led to a return to the initial well-being level within, whereas long-term disability led to a pronounced decline during the transition with much less adaptation., Discussion: Our findings highlight the significant impact that functional disability can have on well-being, revealing distinct patterns across various dimensions. Persistent disability often marks a crucial stage in the well-being of older people, whereas transient cases are characterized by a subsequent return to previous levels of well-being., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF