Changes in self-perceived economic satisfaction and mortality at old ages: Evidence from a survey of middle-aged and elderly adults in Taiwan

Experiencing a low socioeconomic status (SES) throughout the life course has been reported to be correlated with poor health outcomes. Several studies have suggested that income, wealth, and perceptions of economic status are associated with increased risk of death among elderly people. Few studies have investigated the association between lifetime SES and mortality among elderly adults. The analysis in this study was based on 2310 elderly adults for whom SES data from the four phases of the longitudinal survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan (1989, 1993, 1996, and 1999) were available, and who were alive in 1999. The SES measures included in the analysis were annual income, the household wealth, and the self-perceived economic satisfaction. A group-based trajectory modelling approach was employed to create SES trajectories. Cox proportional hazard models were employed to examine the association between SES trajectories and 8-year all-cause mortality (1999-2007). Irrespective of whether income, wealth, or self-perceived economic satisfaction was used, the elderly adults with consistently low SES trajectory throughout early old age were independently and significantly associated with higher hazards of mortality than were those in a consistently high SES trajectory. Downward or upward mobility of income and wealth were associated with increased hazard of mortality. However, decreased self-perceived economic satisfaction was not significantly associated with increased hazard of mortality. According to the results, the strong distinction between trajectory patterns of income, wealth, and self-perceived economic satisfaction among elderly adults indicate that neither should be overlooked when investigating the role of SES mobility in mortality. Retirement policies or strategies for maintaining and promoting favorable SES in early old age may benefit the health of elderly adults later in life.