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Psychological attributes and changes in disability among low-functioning older persons: does attrition affect the
Gertrudis I J M Kempen1, Eric van Sonderen
1Department of Health Care Studies, Section of Medical Sociology, P.O. Box 616, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. G.Kempen@zw.unimaas.nl
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
|February 28, 2002
Summary
Attrition in aging studies affects descriptive health outcomes but not always associations between psychological factors and disability. Older adults with higher disability were less likely to complete follow-up.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Attrition is a common challenge in longitudinal aging research.
- Understanding attrition's impact is crucial for interpreting study findings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of attrition on associations between psychological attributes and disability increase in older adults.
- To assess how attrition affects descriptive versus associative outcomes in aging research.
Main Methods:
- A two-wave panel study with 753 low-functioning older persons was conducted.
- Attrition rates and reasons were analyzed, correlating with age and baseline disability.
- Associations between psychological attributes (mastery, self-efficacy) and disability increase were examined under different attrition scenarios.
Main Results:
- Attrition was higher among older participants and those with greater baseline disability.
- Excluding attrited participants or imputing missing data did not substantially alter the associations between psychological attributes and disability increase.
- Descriptive outcomes were more affected by attrition than associative outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Attrition can bias descriptive findings in aging studies, especially concerning health and function.
- Attrition may not significantly compromise the validity of associative findings in such studies.
- Researchers should carefully consider the potential impact of attrition based on study objectives.