Table 1.
Sample Characteristics
| Variables | n | % or Mean (SD) |
|---|---|---|
| Death wish (Wave 5) | ||
| No | 5,707 | 87.8% |
| Yes | 790 | 12.2% |
| Death wish (Wave 4) | ||
| No | 5,900 | 88.8% |
| Yes | 742 | 11.2% |
| Sex | ||
| Female | 3,913 | 57.6% |
| Male | 2,878 | 42.4% |
| Age in years (75–102) | 6,791 | 80.50 (4.49) |
| Education | ||
| Low | 4,007 | 61.4% |
| Mid | 1,603 | 25.6% |
| High | 919 | 14.1% |
| Ends meet | ||
| Easily | 4,477 | 67.2% |
| With difficulty | 2,186 | 32.8% |
| Poor health | ||
| No | 5,804 | 85.6% |
| Yes | 974 | 14.4% |
| Change in poor health (t 0–t 1) | ||
| Stable | 5,700 | 84.3% |
| Improved | 395 | 5.8% |
| Worsened | 663 | 9.8% |
| Number of ADLs (0–6) | 6,780 | 0.45 (1.13) |
| Change in ADLs (t 0–t 1) | ||
| Stable | 4,878 | 72.1% |
| Improved | 629 | 9.3% |
| Worsened | 1,253 | 18.6% |
| Number of IADLS (0–7) | 6,780 | 0.78 (1.53) |
| Change in IADLs (t 0–t 1) | ||
| Stable | 3,994 | 59.1% |
| Improved | 864 | 12.8% |
| Worsened | 1,898 | 28.1% |
| Depression/affective disorder | ||
| No | 5,929 | 87.3% |
| Yes | 862 | 12.7% |
| Perceived control (3–12) | 6,540 | 8.01 (2.46) |
| Change in perceived control (t 0–t 1) | ||
| Stable | 3,074 | 49.8% |
| Improved | 1,466 | 23.7% |
| Worsened | 1,639 | 26.5% |
| Frequency of prayer | ||
| Daily | 2,381 | 39.9% |
| Less often | 1,668 | 28.0% |
| Never | 1,912 | 32.1% |
| Partner status | ||
| With partner | 3,686 | 54.3% |
| Without partner | 3,105 | 45.7% |
| Lost partner (t 0–t 1) | ||
| No | 6,465 | 95.2% |
| Yes | 326 | 4.8 |
| Size of social network (0–7) | 6,791 | 2.32 (1.55) |
| Often lonely | ||
| No | 5,229 | 92.9% |
| Yes | 397 | 7.1% |
| Change in often lonely (t 0–t 1) | ||
| Stable | 4,850 | 89.2% |
| Improved | 202 | 3.7% |
| Worsened | 388 | 7.1% |
Notes. SHARE, Waves 4 (version 1.1.1) and 5 (version 1.0), sample size = 6,791, unweighted data. ADLs = activities of daily living, IADLs = instrumental activities of daily living, SD = standard deviation.