Discusses life satisfaction, happiness, and morale, three indicators of subjective well-being that have been of particular interest to psychosocial gerontologists. Two problems in the use of such indicators--usage variance and inappropriate assessment level--are examined. Potential solutions to these problems are suggested and discussed briefly.…

Administered questionnaires on religion and well-being to 836 older adults. Found moderately strong correlations between morale and three religious measures (organizational religious activity, nonorganizational religious activity, intrinsic religiosity). For women and subjects aged 75 and older, religious behaviors and attitudes were particularly…

Focused on the exchange of aid between older persons and their children. Hypotheses regarding relationships between mutual aid and the morale of the elderly were developed and tested on a sample of 403 parents aged 60 and over. No relationships between morale and the exchange of aid were found. (Author)

Examines the structure of the Philadelphia Geriatric Center (PGC) Morale Scale using a multiple indicator structural equation model. Based on the 1968 National Senior Citizens Survey, the model is consistently replicated across four subsamples. The claim that the PGC Morale Scale is multidimensional is only appropriate for first-order factors.…

Used path analysis to test race, socioeconomic status (SES), and two intervening variables (self-assessed health status and problems experienced) on two attributes of life satisfaction (happiness and morale). Most effects of race and SES were mediated by self-assessed health status and problems experienced; these two intervening variables were the…

Much of the literature on widowhood has focused on coping and adjustment following the death of a spouse; only recently have social/psychological relationships among the widowed become the subject of investigation. To examine the activity patterns and well-being of elderly widows living in a Florida retirement community, 48 widows were contrasted…

The importance of mealtime companionship and social interaction to improvements of food consumption, nutritional status, and morale in the elderly have been stressed, but the research supporting this concept is minimal. To determine the relationship between mealtime companionship and morale, a representative group of rural adults (N=418) aged 65…