Primary and secondary control-enhancing strategies: implications for health in later life.
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.
Chipperfield
J G
JG
University of Manitoba, Canada. chipper@ms.umanitoba.ca
Perry
R P
RP
Menec
V H
VH
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