engleski

Covariation of life events and well-being in different age groups

The aim of this study was to explore age differences in the frequency of positive and negative events, as well as in covariations between life events and well-being. Data were collected from the longitudinal research project on well-being and life events in Croatia (CRO-WELL project). The sample of adult Internet users was divided in three age groups: younger (N=2115, age 18-30 years), middle-aged (N=2517, age 31-54 years) and older (N=387, age 55-85 years) adults. Participants self-reported Life satisfaction, Scale of Positive and Negative Experience, and the frequency of 8 positive and 7 negative events occurring during the previous year. Younger adults reported more positive events than the other two groups, while no differences were found in the frequency of negative events. Frequency of positive and negative life events were significant predictors of life satisfaction, negative and positive affective states for younger and middle-aged, but for older adults the relationships were different. More frequent positive and less frequent negative events were associated with higher life satisfaction, higher levels of positive and lower levels of negative affects in younger and middle-aged individuals. However, within the older aged group frequency of negative events was associated with lower positive and higher negative affects, frequency of positive events was associated with higher positive affects, while no relationship was found between life events and life satisfaction. These associations remained after controlling for gender, marital status, income, and education level in analyses. Age effects on covariations between life events and cognitive and affective well-being are explained within socioemotional selectivity theory and older people’s better regulation of their emotional experience.

life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, life events

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