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Abstract

Against the backdrop of accelerating global population aging, late-life relocation has become an increasingly common major life event. However, previous research has largely overlooked the profound association between this event and personality development. Older adults’ personality not only serves as a key predictor of successful adaptation to relocation, but a series of changes triggered by relocation, such as shifts in environment, social networks, and daily routines, may also drive changes in personality development. This dissertation addresses this research gap by systematically exploring the mechanisms associating late-life relocation and personality development. It comprises three empirical studies and one study protocol, employing a progressive research logic and diverse methodologies to enable an in-depth exploration spanning from macro phenomena and long-term developmental processes to micro mechanisms. Chapter 2 examines the personality-related emotional responses of older adults following involuntary relocation. Focusing on a sample of Chinese older adults (N = 301) who moved from rural to urban areas due to policy-driven resettlement, this study found that participants widely reported clinically significant levels of anxiety. Although excessive reassurance-seeking was positively associated with anxiety, this association was primarily mediated by attention to negative information. Furthermore, the study revealed a paradoxical effect of resilience in the context of late-life relocation. Older adults with higher resilience, when experiencing stressful events such as relocation, were more likely to amplify negative attention bias in their external support-seeking behaviors (i.e., reassurance-seeking), thereby exacerbating their anxiety. Chapter 3 extends the focus from post-relocation emotional responses to more stable personality traits. Using data from Wave 7 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) across 25 EU countries (N = 48,298), this study examined personality differences between nursing home and private home residents. The results showed only slight differences between the two groups. These differences were largely explained by a combination of individual-level sociodemographic and health-related factors, as well as macro-level contextual factors such as regional and national economic development and investment in long-term care. Chapter 4 investigates the dynamic trajectory of personality development before and after relocation by analyzing 16 years of longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; approximately 20,000 participants). Separate models were estimated for two relocation types: community relocation and nursing home admission. The results indicated that community relocation had mild effects, mainly reflecting the positive personality selection effect before the move. Such relocation did not change the overall trajectory of personality development and was even associated with higher life satisfaction after relocation. In contrast, nursing home admission represented a profound psychological turning point. It was characterized not only by a significant negative selection effect, but also by immediate shocks and complex, long-lasting nonlinear changes in personality, accompanied by a marked decrease in life satisfaction. Chapter 5 presents a prospective cohort study protocol to address the limitations of existing panel data and traditional longitudinal methods in capturing personality development processes. The protocol employs a high-density longitudinal tracking design with daily and monthly assessments following relocation, aiming to accurately capture the complete dynamic process through which short-term fluctuations in post-relocation personality states, social interactions, and daily routines develop into trait-level personality changes. Overall, this dissertation systematically reveals the significant association between late-life relocation and personality development, delineating the complex boundary conditions of personality plasticity in later life. The studies emphasize that the effects of relocation on personality are not uniform but are profoundly influenced by the combined moderating roles of relocation type, individual characteristics, and macro-level socioeconomic and policy factors. These findings extend theoretical understanding of late-life personality development and provide an empirical foundation and practical guidance for developing multi-phase, personalized intervention programs and psychosocial support strategies for older adults in different relocation contexts.