title: When mental health becomes health: age and the shifting meaning of self-evaluations of general health.
abstract: Do self-evaluations of general health change as individuals age? Although several perspectives point to age-related shifts, few researchers have compared them. For this article, several competing hypotheses were tested using a large, nationally representative, and longitudinal data set. The results suggest two trends. First, the correspondence between functional limitations and self-rated health declines, especially after age 50. Similarly, the correspondence between various chronic conditions and self-rated health declines with age. These findings are consistent with social comparison theory. Yet, the results also suggest that the correspondence between depressive symptoms and self-rated health increases. Indeed, after age 74, the correspondence between self-rated health and some common symptoms of depression becomes stronger than that between self-rated health and several chronic, and often fatal, somatic conditions. This crossover has important implications for the detection and treatment of depressive symptoms in later life.
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania, Department of Sociology, Population Studies Center, Philadelphia 19104-6299, USA. jschnitt@ssc.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schnittker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D012647:Self-Assessment; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology