Subjective Well-Being among Older Adults in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Conceptualization and Instrument Development
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Date
2025-07
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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Abstract
Conceptualization and measurement of Subjective Well-Being (SWB) among retired older adults
is insufficiently studied area in Ethiopia but of growing importance. The purpose of this study
was to explore the perspectives of retired pensioners on late life precarity, examine how SWB is
conceptualized among retired older adults, and develop and validate locally relevant instrument
for measuring retired older adults' SWB in Addis Ababa. Sequential exploratory mixed-methods
research design was employed through two distinct phases where qualitative methods precede
the quantitative approach. The first phase of the study was aimed to explore the perspectives of
retired pensioners on late life precarity and examine how SWB is conceptualized among retired
older adults in Addis Ababa. For this study, six woredas from three sub-cities were chosen
purposively, and 31 retired pensioners (20 men and 11 women) aged 60 and older participated.
In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were used to gather qualitative data from the
study participants and a thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data. The qualitative
analysis generated five overarching themes: unattended health issues and unaffordable health
care; absence of recreational places; lack of respect and feeling disengaged; vulnerable
livelihoods and precarious lives; and the overlooked value and contributions of retired older
adults to Ethiopian society. Concerning participants’ perspectives on their well-being, the six
themes identified were physical and mental health, family and social interactions, financial
stability and security, optimism and autonomy, religious faith and practice, and opportunity to
work and contribute to the community. The second phase of the study was designed to develop
and validate locally relevant instrument for measuring retired older adults SWB. For this
purpose, an exploratory sequential mixed methods research design was employed initially to
explore the conceptualization of SWB and its indicators qualitatively, then followed by a
quantitative method to examine the validity of the scale. Both qualitative and quantitative data
were collected. Data for qualitative analysis were gathered from retired older adults using in depth interviews and focus group discussions, whereas data for quantitative analysis were
gathered from expert judges and retired older adults. A multistage random sampling method was
employed to choose woredas, and twelve woredas from four sub-cities with better documentation
were selected. To develop and validate instrument for measuring older adults’ SWB, data were
collected twice, one for preliminary analyses such as item analysis, exploratory factor analysis,
and reliability analysis based on the responses of 272 participants (men=176; women=96), and
the other for examining confirmatory factor analysis as well as convergent and discriminant
validity analysis using the responses of 259 participants (men=168 and women=91) from the
four sub-cities, were randomly selected. The collected data was analyzed using IBM SPSS with
AMOS 23.0. The final results revealed that a 5-factor solution (physical and mental health,
family and social interactions, financial stability and security, optimism and autonomy, religious
faith and practice) with a 27-item was identified, and then confirmed with good fit indices.
Moreover, acceptable convergent and discriminant validity evidence was found. Thus, it would
be sufficient to say that the SWB scale measures what it purports to measure. Overall, the results
underscore the importance of comprehensive and contextually relevant psychosocial and
economic interventions aimed at improving the SWB of retired older adults. The results suggest
the need for national aging policies with a strong political will and gender sensitivity for their
implementation. Additionally, it also indicates the need for further research to examine the
concurrent validity of the newly developed SWB scale.
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Keywords
subjective well-being, older adults, pensioners, conceptualization, precarity, aging in Ethiopia, challenges of retired older adults, instrument development, Addis Ababa