The Mediating Role of Subjective Happiness Between Subjective Economic Status and Pre-Emptive End-of-Life Conversation Experience

Promoting equitable end-of-life (EOL) preparedness is essential for dignified aging. This study examined whether subjective happiness mediates the association between subjective economic status and preemptive conversations (PCs) about EOL among older adults. Using cross-sectional data from 1,575 participants in Koriyama City, Japan, logistic regression assessed the association between economic status and PCs, and mediation analysis evaluated indirect effects via subjective happiness. Higher subjective economic status was associated with greater likelihood of PCs and higher subjective happiness. Subjective happiness partially mediated this association, accounting for 23.4% of the effect. These findings suggest that enhancing subjective well-being may help reduce socioeconomic disparities in EOL preparedness.