We examined the life satisfaction and wellbeing determinants of two groups of older adults in Abu Dhabi using data from the fourth cycle of the Abu Dhabi Quality-of-Life Survey (QoL-4). The first group is still active and employed, while the second group is retired or unemployed. The QoL-4 survey included multiple scales associated with happiness, life satisfaction, social relations, subjective physical and mental health, housing, income, education, environment, and community social support and services. The analysis relied on descriptive statistics and multiple analyses of variances. The primary analysis focused on the statistical differences between the two groups. In general, working older people recorded significantly more positive wellbeing outcomes than those not working. More detailed results show that, in general, the top factors favoring working older people are related to income change and satisfaction, ability to make ends meet, subjective health and mental health, often eating a healthy diet, participating in voluntary activities, trust in people, feeling more connected with other people, satisfaction with relationships with other people, satisfaction with services provided for senior citizens, life satisfaction, and happiness. The older people who are not working scored more positive outcomes on a few factors. They included often meeting with friends, quality time spent with family, satisfaction with family life, and satisfaction with services provided for senior citizens. Further analysis revealed that female older adults recorded more negative wellbeing indicators than males, regardless of whether they were working. Limitations and future directions are provided. Some policy directions are also discussed.

Authors:
Masood Badri, Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development and UAE University, United Arab Emirates
Mugheer Alkhaili, Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development, United Arab Emirates
Hamad Aldhaheri, Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development, United Arab Emirates
Saad Al Yaaqeib, Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development, United Arab Emirates
Guang Yang, Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development, United Arab Emirates
Muna Albahar, Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development and UAE University, United Arab Emirates

About the Presenter(s)
Professor Masood Badri is a at Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development and Abu Dhabi Department of Education & Knowledge in United Arab Emirates

See this presentation on the full schedule – On Demand Schedule

Bookmark