Activity, event transactions, and quality of life in older adults.

A multidimensional assessment of activity and subjective well-being based on a cognitive model of event causation was tested in a sample of 60 older adults. Activity was conceptualized as involving the occurrence of an event, the presence or absence of a response to that event, and the hedonic tone of the outcome of that transaction. Events were categorized as to whether the environment or the individual initiated them: demands or desires, respectively. Well-being was conceptualized as having two independent components, positive and negative, assessed by positive and negative mood scales and general well-being and quality-of-life scales. Analyses showed that older adults who were responsive to events reported more positive well-being, but high responding was also associated with negative aspects of well-being. Demands interacted with desire responding and outcome; affective outcomes of desired actions were significantly influenced by the occurrence of demand events. Results are interpreted in an expanded model of activity theory.