Residential satisfaction among aging people living in place

Residential satisfaction is a significant topic in environmental psychology yet there is little research on residential satisfaction among elders. This research aims to identify the cognitive structure of residential satisfaction of elderly persons living in their own dwellings and to identify demographic and psychological variables related to this residential satisfaction. One hundred and three participants, ranging in age from 72 to 86 years old and living at home in the central France, answered (a) a purpose-developed questionnaire to measure their residential satisfaction, (b) an environmental quality questionnaire aimed at evaluating both the physical and social environments, and (c) several psychological variables including: the ESV, a French adaptation of the Satisfaction with Life Scale which examines the general well-being of aging people; and three single well-being items assessing financial well-being, perceived health, and perception of oneself as active. The results indicated that in this sample, residential satisfaction corresponds to a four-dimension structure organized by physical location rather than psychological or behavioral aspects. The four components were the local area, access to services, relations with neighbors, and the home itself. Satisfaction with each component was related to different predictors, supporting the idea that elders hold complex and nuanced views of their homes and neighborhoods.