Subjective Well-Being in Frail Older Persons: Why Social Comparison Orientation and Self-Management Are Important

Abstract

In the present study, we explored the relationship between the tendency to engage in social comparison, the so-called Social Comparison Orientation (SCO), and subjective well-being in a questionnaire study among 124 older persons with varying levels of frailty. Furthermore, we examined how this relationship was affected by Self-Management Ability (SMA), i.e., the ability to sustain a certain level of well-being during old age. SCO was positively associated with overall subjective well-being at T2, but not with life satisfaction at T1. For both measures of well-being, we found a positive relationship with SCO among older persons with higher levels of frailty and higher levels of SMA. These findings suggest that the tendency to engage in social comparison serves an adaptive function during old age, especially among frailer older persons who arc able to successfully self-manage their situation.

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