Life Satisfaction in 6 European Countries: The Relationship to Health, Self-Esteem, and Social and Financial Resources among People (Aged 65-89) with Reduced Functional Capacity Christel Borg, RN, MSc, PhD, Cecilia Fagerström, RN, Cristian Balducci, PhD student, Vanessa Burholt, PhD, Dieter Ferring, PhD, Prof., Germain Weber, PhD, Prof., Clare Wenger, PhD, Prof. emeritus, Göran Holst, RNT, PhD, and Ingalill R. Hallberg, RNT, PhD, Prof. The aim of this study was to investigate how overall health, participation in physical activ- ities, self-esteem, and social and financial resources are related to life satisfaction among people aged 65 and older with re- duced activities of daily living (ADL) capacity in 6 European countries. A subsample of the European Study of Adults’ Well-Being (ESAW), consisting of 2,195 people with re- duced ADL capacity from Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Luxem- bourg, Austria, and Italy, was included. The Older Americans’ Resources Schedule (OARS), the Life Satisfaction Index Z, and the Self-Esteem Scale were used. In all national samples, overall health, self-esteem, and feeling worried, rather than ADL capacity, were significantly associated with life satis- faction. The findings indicate the importance of taking not only the reduction in functional capacity into account but also the individu- al’s perception of health and self-esteem when outlining health care and nursing aimed at improving life satisfaction. The study thus suggests that personal rather than environ- mental factors are important for life satisfac- tion among people with reduced ADL capac- ity living in Europe. (Geriatr Nurs 2008;29: 48-57) A s a result of reduced activities of daily living (ADL) capacity, people may have to give up activities that contribute to life satisfaction. Life satisfaction is a common out- come variable in population-based studies 1 and is regarded as an indicator of well-being. 2 It is often used to evaluate older people’s lives, and reflects multiple and broad domains. 3 Knowl- edge regarding life satisfaction and factors con- tributing to it among elderly people with re- duced ADL capacity is needed because large populations in Europe are now reaching old age. Among people aged 20 and older, differences in life satisfaction have been found between north- ern and southern Europe. 2 In addition, in a re- view, Diener and colleagues 4 found that people in highly industrialized, individualistic Western nations claimed a higher global life satisfaction than those in less industrialized, collectivist na- tions. The 2 studies about existing differences in life satisfaction across European countries did not, however, deal specifically with people with reduced ADL capacity. Knowledge regarding the situation of these people may help to deepen the understanding of life satisfaction and its determinants when ADL capacity decreases. It is furthermore not unlikely that people’s life satisfaction depends on personal as well as en- vironmental factors. Thus the hypotheses in the present study is based on the assumption that personal as well as environmental factors are important for life satisfaction among people with reduced ADL capacity and that these fac- tors may differ in importance between various European countries. European countries have different health care, cultural, and social systems, 5 which sug- gests that life satisfaction in people with re- duced ADL capacity and the determinants tied to this may differ across European countries. Geriatric Nursing, Volume 29, Number 1 48