engleski

Subjective well-being and family relations across the adult lifespan

Family is a key factor in maintaining and enhancing the well-being of people. Across the lifespan family relations have important but different role in individual’s subjective well-being. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between various indicators of well-being (happiness, life satisfaction and domain satisfactions) and characteristics of family life (number of children and family members, satisfaction with family life) in groups of younger, middle and older adults. The study was conducted in spring 2015 within the framework of opinion pool on the representative sample of Croatian citizens. The participants were 1000 adults (52% women) divided in three age groups for the purpose of this analysis: (1) 18 to 40 years N=379, (2) 40 to 60 years N=353, (3) 60+ years N=268. Instruments included one-item ratings (0 to 10) of happiness, life satisfaction and satisfaction with various domains (standard of living, health, relationships, security, future security, achievement in life, community connectedness, and future security), five-item scale of satisfaction with family functioning and a set of sociodemographic questions. Results showed that satisfaction with family functioning is significantly related to subjective well-being indicators in younger and middle aged people, while these relationships in older age were marginal or non-existent. On the other side, the size of the family (number of family members and children) was significantly related to subjective well-being of older individuals, but not those of younger or middle age. Differential associations between family life and well-being across the lifespan are discussed in the view of cultural and economic determinants.

well-being; family

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