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Published on: May 31, 2021
Stability in perceived control: implications for health among very old community-dwelling adults
Judith G Chipperfield1, Darren W Campbell, Raymond P Perry
1University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; chipper@ms.umanitoba.ca.
Objective:
Our purpose was to examine how stability/variability in perceptions of control (PC) relate to a variety of health-related variables.
Design:
PC stability/variability across multiple domains was assessed in a longitudinal design including 318 adults, 72 to 99 years of age.
Method:
PC and health-related measures were obtained during in-person interviews conducted approximately 3 months apart. PC variability was assessed in relation to self-reported health outcomes (perceived health, chronic health conditions, functional status) and objective measures of physician visits and hospitalizations recorded over a 4-year period in a highly reliable and comprehensive database.
Results:
PC variability was associated with poorer health, poorer functional status, and more physician visits and hospital admissions, even after statistically controlling for mean PC level and direction-of-change in PC.
Implications:
Our findings suggest that health and well-being among very old individuals may be compromised by fluctuating levels of PC, or conversely, that stability in PC enhances health.
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