Life Satisfaction and its Relation to Self-Esteem among Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Life satisfaction is an important indicator of one’s wellbeing and is associated with mental and physical health, also has been associated with adverse effects on mortality and morbidity (Rajani, Skianis & Filippidis, 2019). People throughout the world desire better lives in the pursuit of happiness. Accordingly, researchers have increasingly focused on what affects individuals’ life satisfaction. There is a widespread idea that individuals’ traits can explain why some are more satisfied with life than others in the same environment. Family, friends, finance, culture, and grit are an important predictor of life satisfaction (Li, et al., 2018). Life satisfaction has been associated with a reduced need for health care and thus also with reduced health expenditures (Rissanen, 2015). Added to that, satisfied people manifest fewer psychopathological symptoms, such as depression, phobia or anxiety, and are less prone to substance abuse. They tend to feel more energetic, healthier and report lower pain intensity. Knowing the importance of life satisfaction for human daily functioning, it is crucial to foster and maintain its high level. However, shaping high life satisfaction may improve the psychological and social functioning and ameliorate various health disorders (Szymańska, 2020).