Housing in Old Age: Dynamical Interactions Between Neighborhood Attachment, Neighbor Annoyance, and Residential Satisfaction

Abstract

Objective: Residential satisfaction and neighborhood quality play major roles in aging well. However, longitudinal research about the interplay between such factors is still sparse. Our 1-year study examined whether change in residential satisfaction was associated with change in two indicators of neighborhood quality: neighborhood attachment and neighbor annoyance.Methods: Findings come from a longitudinal study with 85 community-dwelling German older adults (age range: 60 to 92 years). Participants filled out questionnaires at two measurements that were 1 year apart. The interplay between residential satisfaction and neighborhood was explored using a cross-path model.Results: Higher levels of residential satisfaction predicted enhanced attachment and reduced annoyance over time. Moreover, attachment predicted positive change in residential satisfaction over the course of 1 year.Conclusion: Results suggest that older adults may apply adaptive behaviors and strategies to optimize their neighborly experiences. Such findings have implications for improving residential satisfaction in community-dwelling older adults.