The Association Between Housing Transition and Psychological Well-Being: Findings From the National Health and Aging Trends Study.

Source: PubMed, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine

Housing transitions in later life involve moving to various settings and interacting with new environments, and this process can influence older adults' psychological well-being. Using data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (2011-2015, N = 3,549), mixed-effects regression analyses examined the associations between relocation, neighborhood characteristics, and psychological well-being across different settings: within-community relocation, relocation from community to non-nursing facilities, and relocation from community to nursing homes. Non-movers and within-community movers did not differ significantly in psychological well-being, suggesting that within-community relocation may support aging in the right place. However, within-community movers reported significantly lower psychological well-being when relocating to neighborhoods with higher physical disorder. Interestingly, while transitioning to a nursing home is generally associated with lower psychological well-being, low social cohesion significantly attenuated this negative association, suggesting a compensatory role of nursing homes in less cohesive environments. These findings may inform relocation decisions by older adults, families, and policymakers.