目的:本研究為探討不同居住安排下,社會支持是否對老人的生活滿意度產生影響,進一步並檢驗不同類型的社會支持對生活滿意度的相對重要性。 方法:資料來源為行政院衛生署國民健康局2003年「台灣地區中老年身心社會生活狀況長期追蹤調查資料庫」,並擷取57歲以上老人,扣除代答個案,共3,778個樣本進行分析,樣本完訪率為91.6 %。影響生活滿意度之主要因素為居住安排與工具性和情感性社會支持,並控制人口社經地位基本特質、生理及心理健康狀況、以及居家環境、財務狀況、休閒活動參與等調節因素進行分析。採用複迴歸模式進行分析。 結果:研究結果顯示:與其他家人同住的老人比獨居老人有較高的生活滿意度。情感性社會支持較工具性社會支持對老人的生活滿意度更具影響力。女性、教育程度高、自評健康良好、工具性日常生活功能正常、精神壓力小、無憂鬱症狀、滿意居家環境、滿意經濟狀況、參與休閒活動的老人有較高的生活滿意度。獨居老人若提供他人較多情感支持者其生活滿意度較高。 結論:跟家人親友同住的老人,可從家人中得到更多情感性支持。調節因素和提供他人情感性支持可促進獨居老人之生活滿意度。建議未來政策應考量如何增加獨居老人之社會支持網絡與改善生活環境與休閒活動以提升其主觀福祉。
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of living arrangement and social support to life satisfaction among the elderly. Furthermore, the relative importance of social support to the life satisfaction was also examined. Method: The source of data used in this study was based on the 2003 “Survey of the Health and Living Status of the Middle-Aged and the Elderly in Taiwan”, which was a face-to-face interview survey conducted by Bureau of Health Promotion, Department of Health. The samples who were 57 years old or more were selected, and totally 3,778 persons were included in the analysis, with response rate of 91.6%. Living arrangement as well as instrumental and emotional social support were the main independent variables associated to life satisfaction, by controlling demographics, health status, and moderating factors (living environment, financial status and leisure activity participation) in the multiple regression analysis. Results: The elder who lived with family had higher life satisfaction than those lived alone. Emotional social support increased life satisfaction than instrumental social support. Those who were female, higher educated, reported better self-rated health, showed normal function of instrumental activities of daily living, having less stress, without depressive symptoms, satisfied with living environment or economic status, and more attending leisure activities, had a better life satisfaction. The living alone elderly had a better life satisfaction when they provided more emotional support to others. Conclusions: The elderly who live with their family or relatives could get more emotional support and higher life satisfaction compared with those living alone. Moderating factors and providing emotional support would increase the life satisfaction for the elderly who live alone. The policy should consider how to enlarge the social support network, improve the living environment, and encourage the participation in leisure activities are suggested to improve the subjective well-being for the living-alone elderly.