Terminal Change in Facets of Affective Experience and Domain Satisfaction: Bittersweet Emotions at the End of Life
Year: 2018
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: General well-being is known to deteriorate sharply at the end of life. However, it is an open question how terminal change differs across affective and evaluative well-being facets and if socio-demographic, physical health, and psychosocial correlates operate in facet-specific ways. To examine these questions, we applied growth models to 9-year annual longitudinal data of 864 participants (age M = 75 years, 41% women) from the national Socio-Economic Panel. Findings revealed that six of the seven well-being facets examined became increasingly fragile late in life, but at vastly different rates. Correlates like perceived control were generally associated with more favorable late-life trajectories, whereas other correlates operate in more facet-specific ways: Those living with a partner were happier, but also reported more worries and steeper increases in sadness, a picture of bittersweet emotions very late in life. We discuss implications of our findings for theories of emotion and self-regulation.
Source: Innovation in Aging
Authors: D Gerstorf, G Hueluer, G G Wagner, U Kunzmann, N Ram
Language: English
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,977
OpenAlex ID: W2900180388