Aging With a Physical Disability, Duration of Disability, and Life Satisfaction: A 5-Year Longitudinal Study Among People Aged 40 to 79 Years

Studies show that having physical disabilities is associated with lower life satisfaction (LS). People with disabilities have reduced opportunities and welfare compared with people without disabilities. During aging, disabilities may have different impact on LS. A question is whether disability duration plays a unique role by affecting LS or whether an association is caused by other factors. This study analyzed Norwegian panel data (N = 2,555) including people aged 40 to 79 years at baseline to examine how disability and its duration affect LS at follow-up 5 years later, controlling for sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and health factors using ordinary least-squares regression. People with disabilities had lower LS than those without disabilities. Disability duration affected LS among people aged 40 to 49 years and 60 to 69 years, but the association was due to the lack of social, economic, and health resources. The meaning of duration of disability and challenges of reduced resources will vary with life stages.