Abstract
Objectives: Physical health poses a significant risk to the short and long-term maintenance of subjective well-being (SWB) in old age. Despite numerous long-term and micro-longitudinal studies on the relationship between physical health and SWB in older populations, existing systematic reviews have focused exclusively on cross-sectional studies. The present study aims to substantiate and extend these reviews by (1) quantifying associations across multiple study designs and (2) identifying moderators of this association.
Methods: Following registration with PROSPEORO (reg. no. CRD42024512608), a systematic search was conducted in five databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science) from January 1937 to February 2025 supplemented by a backward reference search from selected studies. Full-text screening, data extraction, and quality assessment were conducted independently by two authors for quality assurance.
Results: A total of 95 studies were included in this systematic review. Older studies typically assessed the cross-sectional association between physical health and evaluative well-being (i.e., life satisfaction), while more recent studies focused on daily health measures and affective experiences. Across most studies, indicators of physical health were positively associated with SWB, with self-rated health (SRH) being the most robust predictor. However, longitudinal findings were less consistent, and evidence on moderating factors remains mixed.
Discussion: This review underscores the need for long-term and micro-longitudinal studies to capture the nuanced relationship between physical health on SWB among older adults. Future research should prioritise replicating findings on moderating factors to identify risk and protective influences on the maintenance of SWB in old age.
Methods: Following registration with PROSPEORO (reg. no. CRD42024512608), a systematic search was conducted in five databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science) from January 1937 to February 2025 supplemented by a backward reference search from selected studies. Full-text screening, data extraction, and quality assessment were conducted independently by two authors for quality assurance.
Results: A total of 95 studies were included in this systematic review. Older studies typically assessed the cross-sectional association between physical health and evaluative well-being (i.e., life satisfaction), while more recent studies focused on daily health measures and affective experiences. Across most studies, indicators of physical health were positively associated with SWB, with self-rated health (SRH) being the most robust predictor. However, longitudinal findings were less consistent, and evidence on moderating factors remains mixed.
Discussion: This review underscores the need for long-term and micro-longitudinal studies to capture the nuanced relationship between physical health on SWB among older adults. Future research should prioritise replicating findings on moderating factors to identify risk and protective influences on the maintenance of SWB in old age.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication status | In preparation - 2025 |