Longitudinal benefit of positive self-perceptions of aging on functional health.
We examined whether those with more positive self-perceptions of aging (older individuals' beliefs about their own aging) report better functional health over an 18-year period than do those with more negative self-perceptions of aging. We found that those with more positive self-perceptions of aging in 1975 reported better functional health from 1977 to 1995, when we controlled for baseline measures of functional health, self-rated health, age, gender, race, and socioeconomic status. We also demonstrated that perceived control partially mediates the relationship between self-perceptions of aging and functioning. The sample consisted of 433 participants in the Ohio Longitudinal Study of Aging and Retirement, a community-based study of individuals aged 50 and older, who were interviewed in 6 waves. Our study suggests that the way in which individuals view their own aging affects their functional health.
Levy
Becca R
BR
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT 06520-8034, USA. becca.levy@yale.edu
Slade
Martin D
MD
Kasl
Stanislav V
SV
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States