Subjective health and illness, coping and life satisfaction in an 80-year-old Swedish population-implications for mortality.
BACKGROUND
Multimorbidity and illness will become more common due to increased life expectancy.


OBJECTIVE
This study describes various combinations of diseases and symptoms and explores implications for mortality in a sample of 80-year-olds followed up to 95 years of age. Furthermore, reported subjective health, coping, and life satisfaction is explored.


METHODS
212 persons, born in 1908, were classified into four groups based on their number of diseases and reported symptoms according to a health examination at the age of 80. These groups were compared regarding standardized measurements of subjective health, depression, coping, life satisfaction, and mortality.


RESULTS
The mortality risks, the hazard ratios, were of the same magnitude, 1.8-2.2, whether the persons experienced several symptoms, had several diseases, or a combination of several symptoms and several diseases when compared to the healthy group of respondents.


CONCLUSIONS
The experience of subjective signs of illness carries the same mortality risks as diseases.
Stålbrand
Ingela Steij
IS
Department of Psychology and The Vardal Institute. Ingela.Steij_Stalbrand@psychology.lu.se
Svensson
Torbjörn
T
Elmståhl
Sölve
S
Horstmann
Vibeke
V
Hagberg
Bo
B
Dehlin
Ove
O
Samuelsson
Gillis
G
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden