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The Effect of Age on the Relationship Between Stress, Well-Being and Health in a Singaporean Sample

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Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between stress, well-being and health in older adults compared to younger adults. This can help inform future interventions aiming to improve health in older adults. Data from 200 undergraduates and 84 older adults were analysed to assess the mediating and moderating role of well-being in the relationship between stress and perceived health in older adults. Age group was also analysed as a moderating factor. Age group significantly moderated the relationship between stress and well-being and stress and health, in both cases the association was weaker in the older adults. Mental well-being was a significant moderator in the relationship between perceived stress and perceived health in older adults, compared to the mediating role in the young. Higher well-being may serve as a protective factor in the link between stress and health in older adults.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Mah Wan Qing Michelle for her assistance with data collection, and Ho Moon-Ho (Ringo) and Belle Yick Ying Yee for their comments on the analyses. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Radosevich for permission to translate the Health Status Questionnaire. This work was supported by the Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) Incentive Scheme, Nanyang Technological University.

Conflict of Interest

Jo Archer, Tony Lim, Hui Chian Teh, Weining Chang and Annabel Chen declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Informed Consent

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Ethical Treatment of Experimental Subjects (Animal and Human)

No experimental treatment was conducted on either human or animal subjects in this study.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Hui Chian Teh

    Present address: University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Psychology, Nanyang Technological University, 14 Nanyang Drive, HSS-04-19, Singapore, 637332, Singapore

    Jo. A. Archer, Z. M. Tony Lim, Hui Chian Teh & S. H. Annabel Chen

  2. Office of Research in Clinical Sciences, Duke-NUS Graduate School of Medicine, Singapore, Singapore

    Weining. C. Chang

  3. Centre for Research and Development in Learning (CRADLE), Nanyang Technological University, 62 Nanyang Drive, Block N1.2-B1-02a, Singapore, 637459, Singapore

    S. H. Annabel Chen

Authors
  1. Jo. A. Archer
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  2. Z. M. Tony Lim
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  3. Hui Chian Teh
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  4. Weining. C. Chang
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  5. S. H. Annabel Chen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. H. Annabel Chen.

Additional information

Jo. A. Archer and Z. M. Tony Lim contributed equally to this work.

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Archer, J.A., Lim, Z.M.T., Teh, H.C. et al. The Effect of Age on the Relationship Between Stress, Well-Being and Health in a Singaporean Sample. Ageing Int 40, 413–425 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-015-9225-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-015-9225-3

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