The Relationship between Temporal Discounting and Well-Being in the Elderly

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine association of temporal discounting with well-being of Korean community-dwelling elderly. METHODS: The subjects of this research were 4,373 community-dwelling older persons without dementia. Each subject was administered the questionnaires regarding the socio-demographic characteristics, temporal discounting which was measured using standard questions in which participants were asked to choose between an immediate, smaller payment and a delayed, larger one. Outcome variable is Korean version of the World Health Organization Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5). Statistical analyses including the Pearson's correlation test and logistic regression were performed in this study. RESULTS: At baseline, temporal discounting was negatively associated with WHO-5 in the Pearson's correlation test (r=-0.04, p=0.006). In a adjusted model for confounding variables, temporal discounting was negatively associated with WHO-5 [odd ratio (95% confidence interval)=0.57 (0.35–0.92), p=0.021]. CONCLUSION: Elderly individual with a higher temporal discounting (which indicates impulsivity) may have a lower quality of life.