Background: The happiness of elderly people is an important indicator of successful aging. Research shows that happiness among the elderly is not only affected by physical conditions, social relations and other factors, but is also used as a measure of other aspects of happiness. This study examined the relationship between happiness and social relationships, contextual characteristics, and the medical outcomes of the elderly in China.
Methods: A total of 669 subjects over the age of 60 years were randomly selected from 13 cities in Heilongjiang province and surveyed using questionnaires. We used a structural equation based on the Anderson model to analyze the factors influencing happiness in the elderly.
Results: The main factors for happiness in the elderly were social relationships (P = 0.51), contextual characteristics (P = 0.26), and medical outcomes (P = 0.23). Among these, the most important factor in the dimension of social relationships was social isolation (P = 0.757), the most important factor in the dimension of contextual characteristics was monthly income (P = 0.955), and the most important factor in the dimension of medical outcomes was physical health (P = 0.600). There were also some relationships among three other dimensions.
Conclusions:For the elderly, we must pay attention to social relations and reduce the sense of social isolation. At the same time, we should provide more medical resources for the elderly and maintain their health.