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Degree

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Sociology, 1993.

Abstract

Based on an urban ecological model derived from person-environment interaction theory, this dissertation analyzes how elderly persons' residential satisfaction and subjective well-being (positive and negative affect) are affected by urban poverty environments (both objective and perceived), additional perceived negative neighborhood conditions (juvenile delinquency, victimization of neighbors, unemployment, female-headed households, welfare assistance and teen births), perceived neighborhood age homogeneity, and characteristics of elder vulnerability (age, sex, race, marital status, income, education, physical function/ADL, perceived and received social support, dwelling age, tenure, number of bathrooms, and length of residency). In addition to examining the main effects of the suprapersonal environment and elder vulnerability characteristics on residential satisfaction and subjective well-being, the study also considers whether the influence of neighborhood poverty type on SWB is greater for persons who are more vulnerable due to lower income, female gender, minority status, single marital status, impaired physical function/ADL, less perceived social support, or less received social support. One hundred and ninety-six subjects were interviewed by telephone. Subjects were non-Hispanic, black and white, male and female, non-institutionalized elderly residents of the City of Cleveland proper. Subjects were 60 years of age or older at the time of their telephone interview, and spoke English as their primary language. Positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), and residential satisfaction each have distinct predictors. The majority of the predictors were elder vulnerability characteristics, rather than neighborhood poverty and other area social conditions. For PA, the predictors are: perceived neighborhood female-headed households, sex, income, education, and perceived social support; for NA: perceived neighborhood unemployment, sex, race, physical function/ADL, and number of bathrooms; and for residential satisfaction: perceived neighborhood victimization, perceived social support, received social support, dwelling age, and tenure. Additionally, residential satisfaction is predictive of NA, but not PA. Finally, the neighborhood and elder vulnerability characteristics do not interact in their effect on SWB. The study concludes that there is limited support for the urban model in the urban sample analyzed. Alternative models are suggested for future research

Subject Headings

Sociology, General

Keywords

Elderly; poverty and subjective well-being

Advisor

Kyle Kercher

Pages

179p.

Document number: case1060280839
Permalink: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1060280839

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