Objectives

To examine the level of subjective well-being (SWB) and the mediating roles of gratitude and social support in the relationship between optimism and SWB amongst older Chinese people in nursing homes.

Methods

A total of 354 older adults in Chinese nursing homes completed the World Health Organization's well-being index, Life Orientation Test-Revised, Gratitude Questionnaire-Six-Item Form, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the relationships between optimism, gratitude, social support and SWB.

Results

The mean SWB score of the older people was (63.14 ±15.31), with 21.0% of subjects reporting low SWB. Gratitude and social support in serial partially mediated the relationship of optimism with SWB (total indirect effect: Standardized β = 0.157, 95% CI [0.109,0.216], p<0.001).

Conclusion

These findings provide good evidence for the inter-relationship mechanism amongst the protective factors of SWB, suggesting the need to prioritize positive psychological nursing interventions to promote SWB in older people in residential care.