The Mediating Effect of Self-Transcendence on the Correlation Between Frailty and Life Satisfaction in the Elderly

Frailty is associated with physical and psychological decline. However, many frail older adults have reported high life satisfaction, suggesting the possibility of potential psychological buffering mechanisms. This study aimed to explore whether self-transcendence mediates the relationship between frailty and life satisfaction. A cross-sectional investigation using stratified random sampling was conducted among 1,192 adults aged ≥60 years from fifteen villages and fifteen communities in Zhejiang Province. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, correlation, and mediation analysis. Results indicated that the prevalence of frailty was 29.4%. Frailty was significantly negatively associated with life satisfaction, whereas self-transcendence was positively associated with life satisfaction. Self-transcendence partially mediated the association between frailty and life satisfaction, accounting for 37.4% of the total effect. These findings confirmed the mediating role of self-transcendence between frailty and life satisfaction, providing lower-cost intervention studies with important targeting factors.