Objective  To examine the 2-year dynamics of quality of life (QoL) and its influencing factors among community elderly empty-nesters in Ma'anshan city and to provide evidence for developing health care strategies and conducting health care services and health education in the elderly.

  Methods  With stratified cluster random sampling, we conducted a baseline survey among 3 476 permanent residents aged 60 years and above in Ma′anshan city from December 2016 to March 2017 and a follow-up interview was conducted from December 2018 to March 2019. Finally, the information on 2 344 elderly being empty-nesters during the period of baseline and follow-up survey were extracted to analyze dynamics and influencing factors of QoL for the elderly empty-nesters. World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale Abbreviated Version (WHOQOL-BREF), Activity of Daily Living Scale (ADL), Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15), Stress Resilience Quotient Scale (SRQS), and a self-designed questionnaire were used in the study.

  Results  Compared to those in the baseline survey in all the elderly empty-nesters, significantly lower scores of WHOQOL-BREF′s psychological domain (55.40 ± 10.76 vs. 65.71 ± 13.52) and social relationship domain (65.70 ± 12.56 vs. 67.43 ± 12.42) were measured in the follow-up survey (both P < 0.05); while there were no significant differences in the scores of physiological domain (64.62 ± 13.92 vs. 65.22 ± 14.55) and environmental domain (63.53 ± 11.90 vs. 63.97 ± 12.67) (both P > 0.05). The results of generalized estimating equation analysis revealed following influencing factors of elderly empty-nesters′ QoL: (1) for psychological domain, aged ≥ 70 years, impaired ADL, and depression were risk factors and moderate or good self-rated economic condition, smoking, alcohol-drinking, taking part in physical exercise, moderate or high resilience were protective factors; (2) for physiological domain, aged ≥ 70 years, with the education of primary school or above, living alone, suffering from a chronic disease, declined or impaired ADL, and depression were risk factors and moderate or good self-rated economic condition, smoking, alcohol-drinking, taking part in physical exercise, moderate or high resilience were protective factors; (3) for social relationship domain, aged 70 – 79 years, living alone, impaired ADL, and depression were risk factors and being female, moderate or good self-rated economic condition, alcohol-drinking, moderate or high resilience were protective factors; and (4) for environmental domain, impaired ADL and depression were risk factors and moderate or good self-rated economic condition, smoking, alcohol- drinking, taking part in physical exercise, moderate or high resilience were protective factors.

  Conclusion  For community elderly empty-nesters in Ma′anshan city, the main problem in quality of life is the declined quality of psychology and social relationship domains and the quality of the two domains are influenced in common by age, self-rated economic condition, alcohol-drinking, activity of daily living, depression, and resilience.