The Role of Meaningful Engagement in Enhancing Life Satisfaction Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Background and Purpose: The personal importance of an activity can significantly influence the benefits that participation in that activity provides to older adults. Although social work research has found physical and social activities to be correlated with life satisfaction among older adults, there has been little research conducted regarding the impact of the meaningfulness of these activities in this population. To fill these gaps, the objective of this study is twofold: 1) to examine the relationship between meaningful activities and life satisfaction, and 2) to determine if either of two aspects of meaningful activity (i.e., frequency of meaningful activity and satisfaction with meaningful activity) have a stronger impact on the life satisfaction of older adults. The ultimate goal is to provide social work practitioners with an additional resource to consider when working with clients to improve their life satisfaction.

Methods: This study utilized secondary data from the Well Elderly 2 study conducted in Los Angeles, California. The Well Elderly 2 study consisted of a face-to-face survey that collected self-reported measures of individual health-related life satisfaction, cognitive functioning, stress, and other factors. Baseline data were analyzed (n= 460), comprising a sample of 172 non-racially and ethnically minority older adult participants and 288 racially and ethnically minority older adult participants.

Results: Multivariate regression analysis revealed that older age (β = .15, p < .01), those who identify as racial and ethnic minorities (β = .09, p < .05), and maintenance of good physical condition (β = .13, p < .01) were more likely to have a higher level of life satisfaction. Engagement in meaningful activities (β = .14, p < .01) and perception of meaningful activities (β = .35, p < .000) were both statistically associated with a higher life satisfaction level, even after controlling for socio-demographic variables with perception of meaningful activities displaying slightly more impact on quality of life than frequency of meaningful activities.

Conclusion and Implications: This study reveals that the meaningfulness of activities for an older adult can impact their life satisfaction. Social work practitioners are encouraged to consider both engagement in meaningful activities and perceived satisfaction with those activities when designing interventions to improve quality of life. Additionally, a focus on the cognitive aspects of meaningful activities may be beneficial for older adults. By incorporating strategies that address both types of meaningful activities, social work practitioners can better support the overall well-being of older adults.