ERIC Number: EJ893098
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Aug
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0303-8300
EISSN: N/A
Environmental Influences on Well-Being: A Dyadic Latent Panel Analysis of Spousal Similarity
Schimmack, Ulrich; Lucas, Richard E.
Social Indicators Research, v98 n1 p1-21 Aug 2010
This article uses dyadic latent panel analysis (DLPA) to examine environmental influences on well-being. DLPA requires longitudinal dyadic data. It decomposes the observed variance of both members of a dyad into a trait, state, and an error component. Furthermore, state variance is decomposed into initial and new state variance. Total observed similarity between members of a dyad is decomposed into trait similarity, initial state similarity, new state similarity, and error similarity. Dyadic similarity in new state variance reveals that both members of a dyad change in the same direction, which is a strong indication of environmental effects. DLPA is used to examine environmental influences on life satisfaction and domain satisfaction based on 22 annual assessments of married couples in the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (Ns = 607-740). The results show high similarity in new state variance for life satisfaction and objectively identical domains (household income, housing), and less similarity for objectively less similar domains (recreation, health). This finding provides strong evidence for environmental influences on well-being. In addition, the results show high trait similarity. The implications of the latter finding for interpretation of behavioral genetics studies of well-being are discussed.
Descriptors: Income, Life Satisfaction, Genetics, Foreign Countries, Social Indicators, Sociometric Techniques, Socioeconomic Influences, Correlation, Well Being, Marriage, Spouses, Longitudinal Studies, Data Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A