Self-perceptions of health: a prospective analysis of mortality, control, and health

A growing number of studies show that self-perceptions of health are an important predictor of mortality. The present study was designed to extend this research by examining the relation between health perceptions and a range of other outcome measures besides mortality, including control beliefs and morbidity. The results show that older adults who rated their health as "bad/poor" and "fair" were more than twice as likely to die within three to three-and-a-half years following the initial survey than those who perceived their health as "excellent." However, although health perceptions assessed in 1991/92 were related to health perceptions four years later, they did not predict morbidity. Health perceptions also predicted perceived control and use of control-enhancing strategies in dealing with age-related challenges, as assessed in 1995. These findings contribute to our understanding of the benefits of positive health perceptions by showing that they are connected to an adaptive psychological profile including perceptions of control and use of control-enhancing strategies that are linked to health and well-being.