Optimism and subjective well-being in nursing home older adults: The mediating roles of gratitude and social support.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To examine the level of subjective well-being (SWB) and the mediating roles of gratitude and social support in the relationship between optimism and SWB amongst older Chinese people in nursing homes. METHODS: A total of 354 older adults in Chinese nursing homes completed the World Health Organization's well-being index, Life Orientation Test-Revised, Gratitude Questionnaire-Six-Item Form, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the relationships between optimism, gratitude, social support and SWB. RESULTS: The mean SWB score of the older people was (63.14 ±15.31), with 21.0% of subjects reporting low SWB. Gratitude and social support in serial partially mediated the relationship of optimism with SWB (total indirect effect Standardized ß = 0.157, 95% CI [0.109,0.216], p<0.001). CONCLUSION: These findings provide good evidence for the inter-relationship mechanism amongst the protective factors of SWB, suggesting the need to prioritize positive psychological nursing interventions to promote SWB in older people in residential care.