Association between multiple geriatric syndromes and life satisfaction in community-dwelling older adults: A nationwide study in Taiwan

Objective: Although previous studies have investigated the association between a single geriatric syndrome and life satisfaction in the older adults, the accumulated effects of multiple geriatric syndromes on life satisfaction remain unclear. Methods: We conducted a nationwide study by using data from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging database. A total of 2415 older adults were enrolled. Life satisfaction was evaluated according to the Life Satisfaction Index, and the geriatric syndromes included a depressive disorder, cognitive impairment, functional impairment, urine incontinence, pain, a fall, and polypharmacy. Other characteristics were age, sex, marital status, education level, self-rated health, and chronic diseases. Results: Univariate analysis revealed that the older adults, who were illiterate, did not live with a partner, yet other issues such as stroke, malignancy, osteoarthritis, poor self-rated health, a depressive disorder, functional impairment, urine incontinence, or pain were associated with lower life satisfaction. In the multivariate regression model, the older adults who were male, illiterate, lived without a partner, had poor self-rated health, or had a depressive disorder were more likely to have lower life satisfaction. In addition, life satisfaction was unaffected in the older adults with only 1 geriatric syndrome, but among those with ≥2 geriatric syndromes, an increased number of geriatric syndromes were associated with lower life satisfaction. Conclusion: In addition to socio-demographic factors, cumulative effects of multiple geriatric syndromes might affect life satisfaction in the older adults. Further study of interventions for reducing geriatric syndromes to maintain life satisfaction is required.