LIVSTILLFREDSSTÄLLELSE HOS ÄLDRE, SÄRSKILT MED NEDSATT FUNKTIONSFÖRMÅGA SAMT INFORMELLA VÅRDARE I relation till hälsa, självkänsla, sociala och ekonomiska resurser i ett svenskt och europeiskt perspektiv

Sammanfattning: I relation till hälsa, självkänsla, sociala och ekonomiska resurser i ett svenskt och europeiskt perspektiv.

Knowledge of factors contributing to life satisfaction among older people is needed, both in the context of those with

reduced self-care capacity and among healthy older people and those providing help to others. Such knowledge may be

helpful in developing primary and secondary interventions.

The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate life satisfaction and its relation to factors such as physical and mental

health and social and financial resources among people (60?89 years old) with and without reduced self-care capacity in

six European countries, and among informal caregivers (50?89 years old) in Sweden. The aim was further to investigate

the extent, need and type of support provided or desired among informal caregivers. This is part of the cross-national

European Study of Adults? Wellbeing (ESAW) including six European countries N=12 478 (the Netherlands,

Luxemburg, Italy, Austria, UK and Sweden). The Older Americans? Resources Schedule (OARS), Life Satisfaction

Index Z (LSIZ) and Rosenberg self-esteem scale were used. Study I comprised 522 people (65?89 years old) with

reduced self-care capacity, study II comprised 151 informal caregivers with a high caregiving extent, 392 with a low

caregiving extent and 1258 non-caregivers from the Swedish sample. In study III 2195 people with reduced self-care

countries. The data were analysed by descriptive and inferential statistics using non-parametric statistics, logistic and

linear regression.

Low life satisfaction (LSIZ) was related to higher age, being a woman, high degree of reduced self-care capacity, living

in special accommodations, feeling lonely and poor financial resources. Feeling lonely, reduced self-care capacity,

feeling worried, poor health and poor financial resources in relation to needs predicted low life satisfaction (Paper I).

Frequent caregivers with a high extent of caregiving had lower LSIZ than those with less frequent caregiving and noncaregivers,

while no differences were found between less frequent caregivers and non-care caregivers in LSIZ. Lower

LSIZ was associated with not being employed, low social resources, not refreshed after a night's sleep, poor health, and

frequent caregiving (Paper II). In paper III it was found that there were differences as well as similarities in factors

predicting LSIZ in that self-esteem and overall health were important in all countries among older people with reduced

self-care capacity and reduced self care capacity in three of six countries, whilst in paper IV four factors were found to be

common in all ESAW countries. The factors were social resources, financial resources, feeling greatly hindered by health

problems and low self-esteem. Factors of importance for life satisfaction thus seem to differ depending on the personal

situation and social and political system. These differences should be taken into account when outlining and providing

preventive, rehabilitative and support for these groups.