Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Life change, health status and life satisfaction: A reconsideration

  • Published:
Social Indicators Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Recent research has suggested that life changes may be unrelated to health status indices and to overall satisfaction with life. Yet research has also reported that life changes appear to be related to measures of psychological distress. To attend further to clarification of the role of life change as a predictor of health status and life satisfaction, this paper examines the relationship between negative life change self-reports and indices of health status and life satisfaction. The data come from a survey of 1423 Northwestern Wisconsinites interviewed in 1974 by the Wisconsin Survey Research Laboratory. The findings indicate that self-reports of negative life changes were related to overall life satisfaction, controlling for health status, feelings of alienation/attachment, and personal disruption. Implications of the findings are discussed in conclusion.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Bibliography

  • Anderson, J., C. Buck, K. Danaher, and J. Fry: 1977, ‘Users and non-users of doctors-implications for self care’, Journal of Royal College of General Practitioners, pp. 155–159.

  • Andrews, F. and S. Withey: 1973, ‘Developing measures of perceived life quality: Results from several national surveys'’, paper presented at meeting of American Sociological Association, New York City.

  • AndrewsG. C. et al.: 1978, ‘Life event stress, social support, coping style and risk of psychological impairment’, Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 166, pp. 307–316.

    Google Scholar 

  • BharadwajL. and E. A.Wilkening: 1980a, ‘Life domain satisfactions and personal social integration’, Social Indicators Research 7, pp. 337–351.

    Google Scholar 

  • BharadwajL. and E. A.Wilkening: 1980b, ‘Life domain predictors of satisfaction with personal efficacy’, Human Relations 33, pp. 165–181.

    Google Scholar 

  • BushP. J. and M.Osterweis: 1978, ‘Pathways to medicine use’, Journal of Health and Social Behavior 19, pp. 179–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • CampbellA. et al.: 1976, The Quality of American Life (Russell Sage, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • ClementeF. and W.Sauer: 1976, ‘Life satisfaction in the United States’, Social Forces 54, pp. 621–631.

    Google Scholar 

  • ConnollyJ.: 1976, ‘Life events before myocardial infarction’, Journal of Human Stress 2, pp. 3–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • ConstantiniA. et al.: 1974, ‘The life change inventory: a device for quantifying psychological magnitude of changes experienced by college students’, Psychological Reports 34, pp. 991–999.

    Google Scholar 

  • FernandezR. M. and J. C.Kulik: 1981, ‘A multi-level model of life satisfaction’, American Sociological Review 46, pp. 840–850.

    Google Scholar 

  • GerstenJ. C., T. S.Langner, J. C.Eisenberg, and O.Simcha-Fagan: 1977, ‘An evaluation of the etiologic role of stressful life-change in psychological disorders’, Journal of Health and Social Behavior 18, pp. 228–243.

    Google Scholar 

  • GoreS.: 1978, ‘The effect of social support in moderating the health consequences of unemployment’, Journal of Health and Social Behavior 19, pp. 157–165.

    Google Scholar 

  • GortmakerS. L., J.Eckenrode and S.Gore: 1982, ‘Stress and the utilization of health services: A time series and cross-sectional analysis’, Journal of Health and Social Behavior 23, pp. 25–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • HolmesT. H. and R. H.Rahe: 1967, ‘The social readjustment rating scale’, Journal of Psychosomatic Research 11, pp. 231–218.

    Google Scholar 

  • JohnsonR. E., C. R.Pope, W. H.Campbell and C. J.Azevado: 1976, ‘Reported use of nonprescribed drugs in health maintenance’, American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy 33, pp. 1249–1254.

    Google Scholar 

  • KaplanH. B., C.Robbins and S. S.Martin: 1983, ‘Antecedents of psychological distress in young adults: self-rejection, deprivation of social support, and life events’, Journal of Health and Social Behavior 24, pp. 230–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaRoccoJ. M. et al.: 1980, ‘Social support, occupational stress, and health’, Journal of Health and Social Behavior 21, pp. 202–218.

    Google Scholar 

  • LiebermanM. A.: 1978–1979, ‘Social and psychological determinants of adaptation’, International Journal of Aging and Human Development 9, pp. 115–126.

    Google Scholar 

  • LinN. et al.: 1979, ‘Social support stressful life events, and illness: a model and an empirical test’, Journal of Health and Social Behavior 20, pp. 108–119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lundberg, U., T. Theorell, and E. Lind: 1975, “Life changes and myocardial infarction: individual differences in life change scaling’, Journal of Psychosomatic Research 19, pp. 27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martinson, O. B. et al.: 1984, ‘Predicting overall life satisfaction: The role of life cycle and social psychological antecedents’, Social Indicators Research, pp. 99–108.

  • Mechanic, D. et al.: 1982, ‘Distress syndromes, illness behavior, access to care, and medical utilization in a defined population’, Medical Care, pp. 361–372.

  • MedleyM. L.: 1980, ‘Life satisfaction across four stages of adult life’, International Journal of Aging and Human Development 11, pp. 193–209.

    Google Scholar 

  • MellingerG. D., et al.: 1978, ‘Psychic distress, life crisis, and the use of psychotherapeutic medications’, Archieves of General Psychiatry 35, pp. 1045–1052.

    Google Scholar 

  • MichalosA.: 1979, ‘Life changes, illness and personal life satisfaction in a rural population’, Social Science and Medicine 13A, pp. 175–184.

    Google Scholar 

  • MorrellD. C. and C. J.Wale: 1976, ‘Symptoms perceived and recorded by patients’, Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners 26, pp. 398–403.

    Google Scholar 

  • MullerD. P., D. W.Edwards, and R. M.Yarvis: 1977, ‘Stressful life events and psychiatric symptomatology: change or undesirability?’ Journal of Health and Social Behavior 18, pp. 307–316.

    Google Scholar 

  • MyersJ. K. et al.: 1975, ‘Life events, social integration and psychiatric symptomology’, Journal of Health and Social Behavior 16, pp. 421–429.

    Google Scholar 

  • NewcombM. D., G. J.Huba, and P. M.Bentler: 1981, ‘A multidimensional assessment of stressful life events among adolescents: derivatives and correlates’, Journal of Health and Social Behavior 22, pp. 400–415.

    Google Scholar 

  • PalmoreE. and C.Luikart: 1972, ‘Health and social factors related to life satisfaction’, Journal of Health and Social Behavior 13, pp. 68–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker, D. M., W. I. Wilsoncroft, and T. Olshanky: 1976, ‘The relationship between life change and relative autonomic balance’, Journal of Clinical Psychology 32, p. 149.

    Google Scholar 

  • PearlinL. I., et al.: 1981, ‘The stress process’, Journal of Health and Social Behavior 22, pp. 337–356.

    Google Scholar 

  • RabkinJ. G. and E. C.Struening: 1976, ‘Life events, stress and illness’, Science 194, pp. 1013–1020.

    Google Scholar 

  • RaheR. H. and R. J.Arthur: 1978, ‘Life change and illness studies: Past history and future directions’, Journal of Human Stress 4, pp. 3–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • RoghmannK. J. and R. J.Haggerty: 1973, ‘Daily stress, illness and the use of health services in young families’, Pediatrics Research 7, pp. 520–526.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roskies, F., M. Iida-Miranda and M. G. Strobel: 1975, ‘The applicability of the life events approach to the problems of immigration’, Journal of Psychosomatic Research 19, pp. 235.

  • RossC. E. and J.MirowskyII.: 1979, ‘A comparison of life-event weighting schemes: change, undesirability and effect-proportional indices’, Journal of Health and Social Behavior 20, pp. 166–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • TausigMark: 1982, ‘Measuring life events’, Journal of Health and Social Behavior 23, pp. 52–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • TesslerR., D.Mechanic, and M.Dimond: 1976, ‘The effect of psychological distress on physician utilization: A prospective study’, Journal of Health and Social Behavior 17, pp. 353–364.

    Google Scholar 

  • ThoitsP. A.: 1981, ‘Undesirable life events and psychophysiological distress: A problem of operational confounding, American Sociological Review 46, pp. 97–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • WheatonB.: 1983, ‘Stress, personal coping resources, and psychiatric symptoms: an investigation of interactive models’, Journal of Health and Social Behavior 24, pp. 208–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • WilkeningE. A. and D.McGranahan: 1978, ‘Correlates of subjective well-being in Wisconsin’, Social Indicators Research 5, pp. 211–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • WilliamsS. W. et al.: 1981, ‘A model of mental health, life events and social supports applicable to general populations’, Journal of Health and Social Behavior 22, pp. 324–336.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, 308 Harvard Street S.E., 55455, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

    O. B. Martinson, E. A. Wilkening & J. G. Linn

Authors
  1. O. B. Martinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. E. A. Wilkening
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. G. Linn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

The research reported here has been funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health, Grant #RO1 MH 25266-01.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Martinson, O.B., Wilkening, E.A. & Linn, J.G. Life change, health status and life satisfaction: A reconsideration. Social Indicators Research 16, 301–313 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00415128

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00415128

Keywords

Search

Navigation