The Effects of Intra-Individual and Inter-Spouse Status Inconsistency on Life Satisfaction Among Older Persons

Abstract

Inter-spouse status inconsistencies have been largely ignored in gerontological literature related to life satisfaction. To test a series of hypotheses linking intra- and inter-spouse status inconsistency with life satisfaction, a sample of 570 married persons over 60 years of age, drawn from the 1975 to 1978 NORC General Social Surveys data, is evaluated by regressing the measures of life satisfaction on the independent variables in hierarchical fashion. The major findings include: (a) similar to past studies, higher status in general is associated with greater life satisfaction, but not all status factors correlated with life satisfaction; (b) differences between life satisfaction scores of those with high status inconsistencies and those with low inconsistencies are noted; however these differences are not statistically significant; (c) different status factors correlate with life satisfaction depending on the older person's involvement in organizations; and, (d) the negative effects of status inconsistency are not stronger among those older persons experiencing recent traumatic events.

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