Exploring Positive and Negative Affect as Key Indicators of Life Satisfaction among Centenarians: Does Cognitive Performance Matter?

The aim of this investigation was to determine how cognitive performance was associated with positive and negative affect and life satisfaction over time. This study involved a secondary longitudinal analysis of cross-section data collected at Phase I (1988–1992) and during an 18-month longitudinal...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Alex J. Bishop, Peter Martin, Leonard Poon, Mary Ann Johnson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2011-01-01
Series:Journal of Aging Research
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.4061/2011/953031
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The aim of this investigation was to determine how cognitive performance was associated with positive and negative affect and life satisfaction over time. This study involved a secondary longitudinal analysis of cross-section data collected at Phase I (1988–1992) and during an 18-month longitudinal followup at Phase II (1992–1998) of the Georgia Centenarian Study. Participants included 𝑁=137 centenarians at Time 1 and 𝑁=68 survivors at Time 2. Significant stability in cognitive impairment existed at Time 1 and Time 2 for positive (𝛽=.55,𝑃<.01) and negative affect (𝛽=.54,𝑃<.01) models. Negative affect at Time 1 was associated with lower life satisfaction at Time 1 (𝛽=−.42,𝑃<.01 ). In addition, cognitive impairment at Time 2 was associated with decreased positive emotionality at Time 2 (𝛽=−.39, 𝑃>.01). Furthermore, greater positive affect at Time 2 was associated with greater satisfaction with life at Time 2 (𝛽=.35,𝑃<.01). It appears that positive emotionality contemporaneously influences the association between cognitive impairment and life satisfaction among centenarians. Implications relative to improving life satisfaction among centenarians are discussed.
ISSN:2090-2212