Understanding Life Satisfaction of the Elderly with Multi-morbidity in India: Insights from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) Wave-1

SUBHAM SHARMA, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Dhananjay W. Bansod, International Institute for Population Sciences

Very little is known about how elderly people with multimorbidity subjectively evaluate their lives and the factors that affect their life satisfaction in India, which is undergoing a demographic transition, resulting in a higher burden of NCDs and multimorbidity. The present study explores the levels and the determinants of the life satisfaction of the elderly with multimorbidity in India using data extracted from 7,582 elderly with multimorbidity, from Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) Wave 1. The life satisfaction was assessed using Diener’s Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) which ranges from 5 to 35, where a higher score represents higher life satisfaction and vice versa. Descriptive, bivariate, chi-square tests and multivariate linear regression have been used. The national mean life satisfaction score was (x¯ = 23.90) for the elderly with multimorbidity. The regional variation of life satisfaction of the elderly with multimorbidity was observed in India. The significant factors affecting life satisfaction were age, sex, education, income, living arrangement, marital status, self-rated health, social participation, physical exercise, and depression. Policymakers should address socioeconomic disparities, foster social connections, and integrate mental and physical health interventions to enhance life satisfaction which is important for achieving the goal of successful ageing.

Keywords: Population Ageing, Health and Morbidity

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