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Higher Medical Morbidity Burden Is Associated with External Locus of Control.
- Source :
-
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society . Apr2012, Vol. 60 Issue 4, p751-755. 5p. 2 Charts, 1 Graph. - Publication Year :
- 2012
-
Abstract
- Objectives To describe the association between an increasing number of coexisting conditions and locus of control ( LOC), a psychological construct reflecting the degree to which one perceives circumstances to be controlled by personal actions (internal LOC) versus outside factors (external LOC) in older adults. Design Cross-sectional study using survey data from the North Carolina Established Population for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly ( NC EPESE) data set. Setting Community. Participants Three thousand two hundred twelve community-dwelling adults aged 68 and older. Measurements Nine common medical conditions were assessed according to self-report. LOC was measured using a standard questionnaire. Analyses were adjusted for demographics, functional status (self-reported activities of daily living), cognition (Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire), and depression score (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale). Results A higher number of chronic conditions was associated with external LOC (β = 0.37, P < .001). This relationship persisted after adjustment for age, race, sex, functional status, cognition, and depression (β = 0.17, P < .001). Most individual conditions were not associated with LOC, although vision impairment ( P < .001) and arthritis ( P = .02) were associated with more-internal LOC. Conclusion These results suggest that medically complex patients tend to exhibit a more-external LOC, meaning that they perceive little personal control over circumstances and environment. Clinicians should be aware of this tendency, because external LOC may impede an older adult's willingness to engage in the considerable task of managing multiple chronic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *ARTHRITIS
*DIABETES & psychology
*HYPERTENSION & psychology
*OBESITY & psychology
*VISION disorders
*HEARING disorders
*STROKE
*GERIATRIC assessment
*ATTITUDE (Psychology)
*CANCER patients
*MENTAL depression
*LIFE
*LOCUS of control
*MENTAL health surveys
*QUESTIONNAIRES
*REGRESSION analysis
*RESEARCH funding
*SCALES (Weighing instruments)
*SELF-evaluation
*COMORBIDITY
*ACTIVITIES of daily living
*SECONDARY analysis
*WELL-being
*CROSS-sectional method
*DATA analysis software
*DESCRIPTIVE statistics
*OLD age
*PSYCHOLOGY
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00028614
- Volume :
- 60
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 74196570
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2012.03904.x