Trajectories of Volunteering and Self-Esteem in Later Life: Does Wealth Matter?

Abstract

By combining stakeholder theory and activity theory, this study examines the dynamic relationships among wealth, volunteering, and self-esteem of older adults. This study uses latent growth curve modeling (LGCM) to capture the longitudinal patterns of self-esteem across four waves of data from the Americans' Changing Lives (ACL) Study. As time-varying variables, the longitudinal trajectories of volunteering hours and self-esteem are analyzed. As time-invariant independent variables, the authors consider two types of wealth measurements: homeownership and the amount of total liquid assets at Wave 1. The authors find that the intercept of volunteering hours is positively associated with the intercept of self-esteem. This study also finds that volunteering hours partially mediates the relationship between wealth and self-esteem. This study sheds lights on dynamic mechanisms of wealth, volunteering, and self-esteem among older adults. © The Author(s) 2012.