Subjective well-being among the oldest old: The role of personality traits

Very little work has been carried out to identify the determinants of subjective well-being among the oldest old. The aim of this study was to analyze whether individual characteristics (i.e. functional capacity, physical and perceived health, cognition and personality) and social resources (i.e. perceived social support) predict subjective well-being (SWB) among this age group. Participants were 102 community-dwelling healthy older adults aged between 85 and 104 (M = 92.53; SD = 5.91). The sample group consisted of only those not in a state of ADL (Activities of Daily Living) dependence who were not suffering from either mood disorders or cognitive impairment associated with neurode-generative disease. Personality traits (conscientiousness, extraversion and openness) emerged as the strongest predictors of positive affect. Neuroticism and perceived mental health were found to predict negative affect, whereas neuroticism and extraversion emerged as the strongest predictors of life satisfaction. Subjective well-being among the oldest old was mainly predicted by personality traits. Functional capacity, physical health, cognition and social support were not found to be influential factors of subjective well-being. These findings suggest that researchers and clinicians should consider the relationship between personality and subjective well-being among the oldest old.