title: Primary and secondary control-enhancing strategies: implications for health in later life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The major goal of this article was to assess the link between control-enhancing strategies and health in an older population. In particular, the use of primary-control strategies, which involve modifying the environment (e.g., actively persisting) and compensatory secondary-control strategies, which involve modifying the self (e.g., expecting less of oneself) was studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (n = 241) in a large-scale longitudinal study were interviewed to assess their use of strategies and their health.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Health (physical and perceived) was found to vary for those using primary- and compensatory secondary-control strategies; however, the nature of this variation depended on age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings may indicate that primary-control strategies have positive health implications for the young-old but that these same strategies become detrimental to health in late life.  The findings could further suggest that compensatory secondary-control strategies become increasingly more adaptive in late life.
authors.affiliation: University of Manitoba, Canada. chipper@ms.umanitoba.ca
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Chipperfield
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: V H
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: Menec
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D002170:Canada; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male