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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Change and stability: Within-person life satisfaction over a 20-year period using data from the HUNT survey
Thomas Bjerregaard BertelsenMagnhild HøieGeir Arild EspnesSiw Tone InnstrandCathrine LysbergFrode LysbergFrode Lysbergsubject
Within personcohortsStability (learning theory)Personal Satisfaction03 medical and health sciences0302 clinical medicine0504 sociologyAge groupsWithin-person life satisfactionlife satisfaction dynamicswell-beingSurveys and QuestionnairesHumansProspective Studies030212 general & internal medicineNorway05 social sciencesPublic Health Environmental and Occupational Health050401 social sciences methodsLife satisfactionage groupsGeneral MedicineSet pointPeer reviewLogistic ModelsVDP::Medisinske Fag: 700::Helsefag: 800::Sykepleievitenskap: 808Changes in self-rated health and life satisfaction: Evidence from the HUNT surveyWell-beingQuality of LifePsychologyset pointPeriod (music)Demographydescription
Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate within-person life satisfaction (LS) dynamics for two age groups, 20–29 and 30–39 years, from 1984 to 1986 and to follow them over a 20-year period. Methods: Data from 1984 to 2008 were extracted from the large, prospective, longitudinal North-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT), Norway. This paper includes data from more than 14,500 persons. Data were analysed using logistic regression, and LS dynamics were modelled using gender, time and self-rated health. Results: The analyses revealed that about 20% of people in these age groups had a stable level in LS, also known as set point. Long-term LS change, defined as ⩾2 SDs, was reported for 9% and 6% of people in the youngest and oldest age groups, respectively. A large proportion of more than 70% of people had fluctuations in their LS over a 20-year period. A significant decrease in within-person LS was seen for the age groups from 1984–86 to 1995–97 where a significant increase appeared from 1995–97 to 2006–08. For the initial 20–29 age group, the odds of having a higher score increased by 34%, and for the initial 30–39 age group, the within-person LS increase was 81%. Self-rated health was the most crucial variable influencing within-person LS. Conclusions: These findings suggest that a significant proportion of the responders had a long-term within-person LS change over the 20-year period.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-09-22 | Scandinavian Journal of Public Health |