IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/ariqol/v19y2024i4d10.1007_s11482-024-10323-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Educational Quality of the University of the Third Age and Subjective Well-being: Based on a Perspective of Self-determination

Author

Listed:
  • Zhen Zhang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Yilin Zhao

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Huanlian Du

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Maierwana Adelijiang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Jianxin Zhang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Abstract

Objective Developing education for older adults is considered a major initiative to actively cope with issues of aging issue and improve the quality of later life. The quality of education in later life can affect subjective well-being (SWB) of participants. The current study attempts to examine the association between the quality of education for middle-aged and older adults and SWB and relevant mechanisms in China. Methods Using a nationally representative sample of the University of the Third Age (U3A), this study explored the association between the perceived educational quality of the U3A and SWB, represented by life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, and depressive symptoms, and examined the mediating roles of satisfaction with basic psychological needs, including autonomy, competence, and relatedness, based on the self-determination perspective. Finally, 21,482 members aged 50 years and older from 30 U3As in 25 provincial-level regions completed validly the survey. Results The perceived quality of education in the U3A predicted members’ SWB; satisfaction with autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs mediated the above associations, simultaneously; compared to competence and relatedness, autonomy showed a stronger mediating effect. Discussion These findings provide a novel perspective for exploring the mechanisms through which lifelong education affects mental health and provide insights for policymakers and governments to actively cope with issues of aging.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhen Zhang & Yilin Zhao & Huanlian Du & Maierwana Adelijiang & Jianxin Zhang, 2024. "Educational Quality of the University of the Third Age and Subjective Well-being: Based on a Perspective of Self-determination," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 19(4), pages 2103-2123, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ariqol:v:19:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1007_s11482-024-10323-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s11482-024-10323-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11482-024-10323-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11482-024-10323-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhen Zhang & Jianxin Zhang, 2015. "Social Participation and Subjective Well-Being Among Retirees in China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 123(1), pages 143-160, August.
    2. Bibing Dai & Baoshan Zhang & Juan Li, 2013. "Protective Factors for Subjective Well-being in Chinese Older Adults: The Roles of Resources and Activity," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 1225-1239, August.
    3. Ying Liang & Demi Zhu, 2015. "Subjective Well-Being of Chinese Landless Peasants in Relatively Developed Regions: Measurement Using PANAS and SWLS," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 123(3), pages 817-835, September.
    4. Pildoo Sung & Arthur Chia & Angelique Chan & Rahul Malhotra, 2023. "Reciprocal Relationship Between Lifelong Learning and Volunteering Among Older Adults," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 78(5), pages 902-912.
    5. Xinwen Bai & Chiahuei Wu & Rui Zheng & Xiaopeng Ren, 2011. "The Psychometric Evaluation of the Satisfaction with Life Scale Using a Nationally Representative Sample of China," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 12(2), pages 183-197, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lanshuang Chen & Zhen Zhang, 2022. "Community Participation and Subjective Well-Being of Older Adults: The Roles of Sense of Community and Neuroticism," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-14, March.
    2. Xinyu He & Daniel T. L. Shek & Wenbin Du & Yangu Pan & Yin Ma, 2022. "The Relationship between Social Participation and Subjective Well-Being among Older People in the Chinese Culture Context: The Mediating Effect of Reciprocity Beliefs," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-14, December.
    3. Hezhi Chen & Zhijia Zeng, 2023. "Seeking Pleasure is Good, but Avoiding Pain is Bad: Distinguishing Hedonic Approach from Hedonic Avoidance Orientations," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(7), pages 2377-2393, October.
    4. Samuelson Appau & Sefa Awaworyi Churchill & Russell Smyth & Quanda Zhang, 2022. "Social Capital Inequality and Subjective Wellbeing of Older Chinese," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 160(2), pages 541-563, April.
    5. Tao Chen & Lu-lu Liu & Ji-fang Cui & Xiao-jing Qin & Hai-song Shi & Muireann Irish & Ya Wang, 2021. "Balanced Time Perspective and Life Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of “Temporal Negative Affect”," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(6), pages 2563-2574, August.
    6. Haiyang Lu & Peishan Tong & Rong Zhu, 2020. "Longitudinal Evidence on Social Trust and Happiness in China: Causal Effects and Mechanisms," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(5), pages 1841-1858, June.
    7. Qian Jin & Philip Pearce & Hui Hu, 2018. "The Study on the Satisfaction of the Elderly People Living with Their Children," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 140(3), pages 1159-1172, December.
    8. Yue, Yafei & Yang, Dongfeng & Owen, Neville & Van Dyck, Delfien, 2022. "The built environment and mental health among older adults in Dalian: The mediating role of perceived environmental attributes," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    9. Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa & Smyth, Russell & Farrell, Lisa, 2020. "Fuel poverty and subjective wellbeing," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    10. Xu Jiang & Lue Fang & Brianna R. Stith & Ru-de Liu & E. Scott Huebner, 2018. "A Psychometric Evaluation of the Chinese Version of the Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 13(4), pages 1081-1095, December.
    11. Zhen Zhang & Jianxin Zhang, 2015. "Social Participation and Subjective Well-Being Among Retirees in China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 123(1), pages 143-160, August.
    12. Jo-Tzu Chu & Malcolm Koo, 2023. "Life Satisfaction and Self-Esteem in Older Adults Engaging in Formal Volunteering: A Cross-Sectional Study in Taiwan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-11, March.
    13. Yunong Huang & Hung Wong, 2014. "Impacts of Sense of Community and Satisfaction with Governmental Recovery on Psychological Status of the Wenchuan Earthquake Survivors," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 117(2), pages 421-436, June.
    14. Lung Chen, 2013. "Gratitude and Adolescent Athletes’ Well-Being: The Multiple Mediating Roles of Perceived Social Support from Coaches and Teammates," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 114(2), pages 273-285, November.
    15. Henry C. Y. Ho & Wai Kai Hou & Kai-Tak POON & Angel N. M. Leung & Joyce L. Y. Kwan, 2023. "Being Virtuous Together: A One-Year Prospective Study on Organizational Virtuousness, Well-Being, and Organizational Commitment," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 521-542, February.
    16. Natalie Wong & Xianmin Gong & Helene H. Fung, 2020. "Does Valuing Happiness Enhance Subjective Well-Being? The Age-Differential Effect of Interdependence," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 1-14, January.
    17. Huarong Wang & Yuheng He & Licheng Shi & Jiali Wang & Lvqing Miao & Jiajun Dai, 2020. "Willingness to engage in and current status of social participation among Chinese merchant sailors," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(11), pages 1-14, November.
    18. Wenzhang Zhou & Haijun Bao, 2021. "What Limits the Benefits of Land-Lost Farmers in Chinese Courts? An Investigation of Chinese Land Acquisition and Resettlement Cases in the Yangtze River Delta," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, September.
    19. Kuo Zhang & Jipeng Pei & Shu Wang & Karlis Rokpelnis & Xiao Yu, 2022. "Life Satisfaction in China, 2010–2018: Trends and Unique Determinants," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(4), pages 2311-2348, August.
    20. Lin Yu & Zhimin Yan & Xun Yang & Lei Wang & Yuhan Zhao & Glenn Hitchman, 2016. "Impact of Social Changes and Birth Cohort on Subjective Well-Being in Chinese Older Adults: A Cross-Temporal Meta-analysis, 1990–2010," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 126(2), pages 795-812, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:ariqol:v:19:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1007_s11482-024-10323-y. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.