Marital Status as a Determinant of Happiness, Spirituality and Life Satisfaction among Elderly: Community vs. Institutional Contexts

Abstract

Background: The psychosocial well-being of the elderly is profoundly shaped by socio-cultural determinants, of which marital status constitutes a pivotal axis. Within the Indian context, where familial bonds remain central to late-life adaptation, understanding the nuanced interplay between relational circumstances and gerontological outcomes acquires particular salience. Aim: This investigation seeks to delineate the influence of marital status on three cardinal dimensions of psychological well-being—happiness, spiritual well-being, and life satisfaction—among elderly cohorts across diverse Indian districts. Design and Setting: Anchored in a cross-sectional design, the study encompassed 450 participants drawn from both community-dwelling populations and institutional old-age homes. The research design was meticulously structured to accommodate socio-contextual heterogeneity while preserving statistical robustness. Methods: Standardized psychometric tools were deployed to operationalize constructs. Analytical rigor was ensured through the application of one-way ANOVA and subsequent post hoc comparisons, facilitating granular appraisal of intergroup differentials across marital categories. Results: Empirical evidence illuminated that married elders exhibited conspicuously superior psychological indices relative to their widowed, single, and most markedly, their separated counterparts. The separated group consistently manifested attenuated levels of well-being, underscoring the deleterious psychosocial consequences of relational disjunction in senescence. Conclusion: By foregrounding the socio-cultural contingencies of aging, this study enriches gerontological scholarship, offering a contextually grounded contribution to discourses on late-life adaptation in India. It accentuates the indispensability of relational embeddedness as a determinant of psychological resilience in later years. Recommendations: The findings enjoin policymakers and gerontological practitioners to institute bespoke interventions targeting vulnerable subgroups, particularly the widowed and separated, thereby ameliorating psychosocial disparities and cultivating enhanced quality of life.