Abstract
This study examined the relationship between the will to live (WTL) and death-related decline in life satisfaction in 382 decedents who participated in a national 3-wave study (mean age at study entry 79 years). Growth-curve models revealed that distance to death was more predictive of declines in life satisfaction than chronological age. WTL moderated, but did not mediate, death-related decline in life satisfaction. Those with high WTL did not show a decrease in life satisfaction as death approached. This study highlights an important motivational construct, WTL, which regulates life satisfaction when death approaches
Original language | American English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1115-1123 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Psychology and Aging |
Volume | 28 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Dec 2013 |
Keywords
- Distance to death
- Life satisfaction
- Will to live
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Social Psychology
- Ageing
- Geriatrics and Gerontology