A National Representative Study of the Relative Impact of Physical and Psychological Problems on Life Satisfaction

Abstract

This study assessed the influence of different physical and psychological illnesses on life satisfaction in individuals. A nationally representative sample (N = 2,966) of non-institutionalized Spanish adults between the ages of 18 and 65 years completed a self-report measure on treated physical and psychological problems as well as a measure of overall life satisfaction. The results showed that although physical and psychological problems both had an impact on life satisfaction, greater effect sizes were generally found for psychological rather than for physical illness. Regression analysis, which controlled for the effects of comorbidity and sociodemographic variables (e.g. age, gender, marital status, employment status, and education level), revealed a significant impact on life satisfaction in cancer and migraine (in the domain of physical problems), and in depression, lack of concentration, insomnia, and stress/anxiety (in the domain of psychological problems). Further multivariate analyses were conducted to estimate decreases in the Satisfaction With Life Scale for each of the conditions assessed. A lack of significant interactions revealed that the effect of comorbid physical and/or psychological problems could be additive. The present results show that people who are afflicted with psychological problems exhibit a marked decrease in life satisfaction. As a whole, this negative impact is significantly greater than the decrease associated with physical problems.