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Subjective Well-Being of Older African Americans with DSM IV Psychiatric Disorders

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Abstract

This study examined demographic and mental health correlates of subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, happiness) using a national sample of older African Americans with psychiatric disorders. We used a subsample of 185 African Americans, 55 and older with at least one of thirteen lifetime psychiatric disorders from The National Survey of American Life: Coping with Stress in the Twenty-first Century. The findings indicated that among this population of older adults who had a lifetime psychiatric disorder, having a lifetime suicidal ideation was associated with life satisfaction but not happiness. Further, having a 12-month anxiety disorder or a lifetime suicidal ideation was not associated with happiness. Having a 12-month mood disorder, however, was negatively associated with an individual’s level of happiness, as well as their life satisfaction. Additionally, there were two significant interactions. Among men, employment was positively associated with life satisfaction, and marriage was associated with higher levels of happiness among men but not women. The overall pattern of findings reflects both similarities and departures from prior research confirming that well-being evaluations are associated with multiple factors.

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Acknowledgments

The data collection on which this study is based was supported by the National Institute of Health (NIMH; U01-MH57716) with supplemental support from the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of Michigan. The preparation of this manuscript was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (P30-AG15281).

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Authors have no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, USA

    Tina L. Peterson

  2. School of Public Health, School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Linda M. Chatters

  3. School of Social Work, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Robert Joseph Taylor

  4. Department of Psychology, School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Ann W. Nguyen

Authors
  1. Tina L. Peterson
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  2. Linda M. Chatters
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  3. Robert Joseph Taylor
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  4. Ann W. Nguyen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tina L. Peterson.

Appendix

Appendix

See Tables 4 and 5.

Table 4 Ordered logit regression analysis of the correlates of life satisfaction among older African Americans with a lifetime DSM IV psychiatric disorder in the NSAL. (Non-imputed data)
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Table 5 Multinomial logistic regression analysis of the correlates of happiness among older African Americans with a lifetime DSM IV psychiatric disorder in the NSAL. (Non-imputed data)
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Peterson, T.L., Chatters, L.M., Taylor, R.J. et al. Subjective Well-Being of Older African Americans with DSM IV Psychiatric Disorders. J Happiness Stud 15, 1179–1196 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-013-9470-7

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