Social Well-Being and Chronic Disease Condition among Older Adults

Aging is characterized by the decline in physical health, functional status, and loss of social roles and relationships that can challenge the quality of life. A protective factor that moderates the impact of these phenomena is psychological (e.g., social) well-being. Despite the high prevalence of chronic conditions among older adults, research exploring the relationship between social well-being and chronic disease is sparse. The study aims were to investigate the relationship between social well-being among older adults (N = 1,251, R = 65 – 92 years) who participated in the National Survey of Mid-life in the United States (MIDUS 3). This study used variables for the MIDUS 3 study to test a structural equation model to examine the hypothesized relationships between social well-being, chronic conditions, life satisfaction, self-esteem, active coping, optimism, and religious coping. The findings indicate that perceived control, self-esteem, active coping, optimism, and religious coping were statistically significant for the participants’ social well-being (β =.29, p <.001, β =.16, p<.001, β =.08, p<.05, β =.35, p<.001, and β =.07, p<.05, respectively). However, life satisfaction was not significantly associate with social well-being (β =.04, p >.05). For individuals’ diagnosed with more than one chronic condition, perceived control, self-esteem, and optimism statistically significant impact their social well-being (β = .33, p < .001, β =.17, p < .001, and β =.33, p < .001, respectively). Findings suggested that multiple chronic conditions influence social well-being. Chronic disease management programs may be useful in increasing social well-being among individuals with multiple chronic conditions.