Life Satisfaction Over Time Among Rural Low-income Mothers

Sheila Mammen (), Jean Bauer () and Daniel Lass ()
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Sheila Mammen: Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Jean Bauer: Family Social Sciences Department, University of Minnesota
Daniel Lass: Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst

No 2009-2, Working Papers from University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Resource Economics

Abstract: The satisfaction with life (SWL) among rural low-income mothers was assessed using a sample of 163 mothers who participated in a multi-state, three-year longitudinal study. Dependent variables included those that represented various forms of capital (health, human, personal and social) as well as the mothers’ levels of life satisfaction from prior years. Nearly two-thirds of the rural mothers were satisfied with their life in all three years. Their level of satisfaction appeared to be constant, however, such persistence had a time frame of only one year. In all three years, their depression score and the adequacy of their income had a significant effect on SWL. Their confidence as a parent and home ownership affected their life satisfaction during two years. Finally, their satisfaction with social relationships, age of the youngest child, and total number of children had an impact on their life satisfaction for one year.

Keywords: Satisfaction with life; rural low-income mothers; health capital; human capital; personal capital; social capital; homeostatis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I30 I31 I32 I39 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 43 pages
Date: 2009-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hap, nep-hea, nep-hrm, nep-ltv and nep-soc
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:dre:wpaper:2009-2

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