Study Results from National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology Broaden Understanding of Geriatrics and Gerontology (Social Integration and Terminal Decline in Life Satisfaction Among Older Japanese)

Fitness & Wellness Daily

2019 MAY 27 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Fitness & Wellness Daily -- Investigators publish new report on Aging Research - Geriatrics and Gerontology. According to news originating from Aichi, Japan, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Well-being typically exhibits pronounced deteriorations with approaching death, with sizeable interindividual variations in levels and changes. It is less well understood how psychosocial factors contribute to these individual differences.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, “We examined whether and how social integration is associated with terminal trajectories of well-being, indexed as life satisfaction. Data were drawn from 1,119 deceased Japanese participants of a 15-year longitudinal study (age at death: M=79.2 years; SD=7.7 years; 43.1% women). Life satisfaction, structural and functional features of social integration (e.g., frequency of contact with family and nonfamily, and perceived overall support, respectively), socio-demographic characteristics, and physical function were assessed. Social integration predicted individual differences in terminal decline in life satisfaction, after controlling for age at death, gender, education, and physical function: More diverse social relationships were associated with higher levels of life satisfaction at 1 year before death. Additionally, individuals who exhibited more decline in social participation and perceived less support showed more pronounced decline with increasing proximity of death.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “This study suggests that social integration plays a protective role in late-life well-being, and that sustaining an active social life and supportive social interactions may help mitigate terminal decline in well-being.”

For more information on this research see: Social Integration and Terminal Decline in Life Satisfaction Among Older Japanese. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2019;():.

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from T. Nakagawa, Section of the NILS-LSA, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Aichi, Japan.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbz059. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.