What influences self-perception of health in the elderly? The role of objective health condition, subjective well-being and sense of coherence

In a sample of 414 residents of public housing for the elderly, health perception is significantly lower among Black residents than among Whites. The relationship of health perception to several measures of objective health status, to cultural background, to social participation, and to morale is analyzed separately for the two ethnic groups. The relationship of measures of health to health perception is more direct among Whites than among Blacks, except for an Index of Daily Well-Being, in which the relationship is similar for both groups. Social participation also influences health perception. With Blacks, participation in church-related activities is the most direct influence. While health perception is related to morale, life orientation (an index of morale) is higher for Blacks than for Whites. The implications for health education professionals seem to lie in the lack of direct links between objective measures of health and self-perception of health for Blacks. The need for health education, so that there may be a realistic appraisal of one's own health condition, is shown here. The relatively low educational level of many older citizens, especially elderly Blacks, suggests that newspaper releases are not an adequate tool for health education for the elderly.

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The Role of the Five–factor Personality Traits in General Self–rated Health

European Journal of Personality ◽

10.1002/per.2058 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 30 (5) ◽

pp. 492-504 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Liisi Kööts–Ausmees ◽

Monika Schmidt ◽

Tõnu Esko ◽

Andres Metspalu ◽

Jüri Allik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Personality Traits ◽

Five Factor Model ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Large Population ◽

Health Indicators ◽

Well Being ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Objective Health

Self–ratings of health (SRH) are widely used in large surveys and have been shown to predict mortality over and above more objective health measures. However, the debate still continues about what SRH actually represents and what the processes underlying people's assessments of their health are. The main aim of this study is to examine the role of the Five–Factor Model personality traits in general SRH assessment while controlling for the effects of objective health indicators, health–related quality of life and subjective well–being in a large population–based dataset of Estonian adults. A hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that only self–rated, but not informant–rated, neuroticism explained additional variance in SRH when the other aforementioned variables were taken into account. Our findings indicate that people's general SRH is a relatively good reflection of their objectively measured health status, but also that the way in which people experience and evaluate the quality of their lives—both in terms of subjective well–being and more specific aspects of health—plays a significant role in general SRH assessments. Copyright © 2016 European Association of Personality Psychology

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Sense of coherence and subjective well-being: The mediating role of Hope for college students in Turkey

Current Psychology ◽

10.1007/s12144-021-02478-w ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Sümbül Yalnizca-Yildirim ◽

Fulya Cenkseven-Önder

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Sense Of Coherence ◽

Well Being ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Mediating Role

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Social trust and emotional health in older adults in China: The mediating and moderating role of subjective well-being and subjective social status

10.21203/rs.3.rs-44978/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hongsheng Chen ◽

Zhenjun Zhu

Keyword(s):

Social Status ◽

Social Trust ◽

Emotional Health ◽

Family Members ◽

Well Being ◽

The Elderly ◽

Subjective Social Status ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background China is becoming an aging society. The emotional health of the elderly is gaining importance. Social trust is an important factor affecting emotional health, but existing studies have rarely considered the various effects of different types of social trust on elderly emotional health. Few studies have analysed the role of subjective well-being and subjective social status in the relationship between social trust and elderly emotional health. Methods Using the data of the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey 2016 (CLDS 2016) and regression models, this study selected 3767 respondents aged 60 years and above to analyse the impact of social trust on their emotional health. Social trust was divided into three categories: trust in family members, trust in friends, and trust in neighbours. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was used to assess emotional health, and the respondents’ self-assessment scores were adjusted. Results Trust in family members was significantly and positively associated with emotional health (coefficient = 2.854, P < 0.01) and subjective well-being (coefficient = 0.189, P < 0.01). Trust in friends was significantly and positively associated with emotional health and subjective well-being (coefficient = 1.703, P < 0.01; coefficient = 0.171, P < 0.01, respectively). Trust in neighbours was significantly and positively associated with emotional health and subjective well-being (coefficient = 1.461, P < 0.01; coefficient = 0.186, P < 0.01; respectively). Subjective well-being effectively reduced the impact of social trust in family, friends, and neighbours on the emotional health of the elderly by 0.378, 0.341, and 0.370, respectively. Trust in family members, friends, and neighbours, significantly and positively affected respondents’ subjective social status (coefficient = 0.115, P < 0.05; coefficient = 0.095, P < 0.05; coefficient = 0.121, P < 0.01, respectively). Subjective social status effectively reduced the impact of social trust in family, friends, and neighbours on the emotional health of the elderly by 0.092, 0.076, and 0.096, respectively. The positive relationship between trust in family members and emotional health was weakened by subjective well-being, and that between trust in neighbours and emotional health was weakened by subjective social status. Conclusions Family relationships play an important role in maintaining the emotional health of the elderly. In response to population ageing, more social policies must be introduced to care for the elderly and help them lead a happy and satisfactory life.

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Multimorbidity associated with polypharmacy and negative self-perception of health

Revista Brasileira de Geriatria e Gerontologia ◽

10.1590/1981-22562017020.170059 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 20 (5) ◽

pp. 634-642 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Gustavo Cavalcanti ◽

Marlene Doring ◽

Marilene Rodrigues Portella ◽

Emanuelly Casal Bortoluzzi ◽

Andreia Mascarelo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Robust Regression ◽

Well Being ◽

The Elderly ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Small Towns ◽

Self Perception ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Independent Variables ◽

The North ◽

Perception Of Health

Abstract Objective: to verify the association between the multimorbidity of the elderly and sociodemographic variables, self-perception of health and polypharmacy. Method: a cross-sectional study was performed. The research data was collected using the Health, Well-Being and Aging questionnaire. The sample was composed of 676 people aged 60 years or more, who were residents of small towns in the north of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The dependent variable was multimorbidity, that is, the occurrence of two or more chronic non-communicable diseases in the same person. The independent variables were demographic, socioeconomic and health-related characteristics. Poisson’s raw and robust regression model was used to analyze the effect of the independent variables in relation to the outcome and p was considered significant when <0.05. Result: among the elderly interviewed, 45% presented multimorbidity, 51.1% reported a self-perception of poor/very poor health and 37.1% used polypharmacy. After the analysis was adjusted to the occurrence of multimorbidity, association with the following variables was found: health perception (regular/poor/very poor) PR=1.15 (CI95%; 1.09 - 1.22) and use of polypharmacy PR=1.29 (CI95%; 1.22 - 1.35). Conclusion: Multimorbidity may interfere negatively in the self-perception of health of the elderly contributing to increased medicine consumption.

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Social trust and emotional health in older adults in China: The mediating and moderating role of subjective well-being and subjective social status

10.21203/rs.3.rs-60031/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hongsheng Chen ◽

Zhenjun Zhu

Keyword(s):

Social Status ◽

Social Trust ◽

Emotional Health ◽

Family Members ◽

Well Being ◽

The Elderly ◽

Subjective Social Status ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background China is becoming an aging society. The emotional health of the elderly is gaining importance. Social trust is an important factor affecting emotional health, but existing studies have rarely considered the various effects of different types of social trust on elderly emotional health. Few studies have analysed the role of subjective well-being and subjective social status in the relationship between social trust and elderly emotional health.Methods Using the data of the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey 2016 (CLDS 2016) and regression models, this study selected 3767 respondents aged 60 years and above to analyse the impact of social trust on their emotional health. Social trust was divided into three categories: trust in family members, trust in friends, and trust in neighbours. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was used to assess emotional health, and the respondents’ self-assessment scores were adjusted.Results Trust in family members was significantly and positively associated with emotional health (coefficient = 2.854, P < 0.01) and subjective well-being (coefficient = 0.189, P < 0.01). Trust in friends was significantly and positively associated with emotional health and subjective well-being (coefficient = 1.703, P < 0.01; coefficient = 0.171, P < 0.01, respectively). Trust in neighbours was significantly and positively associated with emotional health and subjective well-being (coefficient = 1.461, P < 0.01; coefficient = 0.186, P < 0.01; respectively). Subjective well-being effectively reduced the impact of social trust in family, friends, and neighbours on the emotional health of the elderly by 0.378, 0.341, and 0.370, respectively. Trust in family members, friends, and neighbours, significantly and positively affected respondents’ subjective social status (coefficient = 0.115, P < 0.05; coefficient = 0.095, P < 0.05; coefficient = 0.121, P < 0.01, respectively). Subjective social status effectively reduced the impact of social trust in family, friends, and neighbours on the emotional health of the elderly by 0.092, 0.076, and 0.096, respectively. The positive relationship between trust in family members and emotional health was weakened by subjective well-being, and that between trust in neighbours and emotional health was weakened by subjective social status.Conclusions Family relationships play an important role in maintaining the emotional health of the elderly. In response to population ageing, more social policies must be introduced to care for the elderly and help them lead a happy and satisfactory life.

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Optimism and social support moderate the indirect relationship between self-efficacy and happiness through mental health in the elderly

Health Psychology Open ◽

10.1177/2055102920947905 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 205510292094790

Author(s):

Raquel Lara ◽

Mª Luisa Vázquez ◽

Adelaida Ogallar ◽

Débora Godoy-Izquierdo

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Support ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Well Being ◽

The Elderly ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Mediation Analyses ◽

Indirect Relationship ◽

Mental Well Being

We examined the role of self-efficacy, social support, optimism, and mental health in the prediction of happiness in the elderly. Moderated mediation analyses confirmed a full mediation in which self-efficacy, through perceived mental health and moderated by social support, predicts happiness moderated, in turn, by optimism. When an elder is self-efficacious, his or her mental well-being seems more likely to be improved and translated into enhanced happiness when social support and optimism are moderate to high. We provide preliminary results on the interplay of these psychosocial resources in improving subjective well-being that may help in designing tailored interventions for promoting happiness in late adulthood.

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