Educational Quality of the University of the Third Age and Subjective Well-being: Based on a Perspective of Self-determination

Developing education for older adults is considered a major initiative to actively cope with issues of aging issue and improve the quality of later life. The quality of education in later life can affect subjective well-being (SWB) of participants. The current study attempts to examine the association between the quality of education for middle-aged and older adults and SWB and relevant mechanisms in China.

Using a nationally representative sample of the University of the Third Age (U3A), this study explored the association between the perceived educational quality of the U3A and SWB, represented by life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, and depressive symptoms, and examined the mediating roles of satisfaction with basic psychological needs, including autonomy, competence, and relatedness, based on the self-determination perspective. Finally, 21,482 members aged 50 years and older from 30 U3As in 25 provincial-level regions completed validly the survey.

The perceived quality of education in the U3A predicted members’ SWB; satisfaction with autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs mediated the above associations, simultaneously; compared to competence and relatedness, autonomy showed a stronger mediating effect.

These findings provide a novel perspective for exploring the mechanisms through which lifelong education affects mental health and provide insights for policymakers and governments to actively cope with issues of aging.