ERIC Number: EJ1118180
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Nov
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0012-1649
EISSN: N/A
Health Sensitivity: Age Differences in the Within-Person Coupling of Individuals' Physical Health and Well-Being
Schöllgen, Ina; Morack, Jennifer; Infurna, Frank J.; Ram, Nilam; Gerstorf, Denis
Developmental Psychology, v52 n11 p1944-1953 Nov 2016
Well-being and physical health are central indicators of quality of life in old age. Research from a between-person difference perspective finds that people in better health than their peers also report higher well-being than their peers. However, we know very little about whether changes in one domain are accompanied by changes in the other domain, particularly at the within-person level. In the present study, we introduce the construct of health sensitivity, that is, how susceptible an individuals' well-being is to changes in physical health. In doing so, we used 9-wave longitudinal data covering 17 years from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 21,689; 50-109 year olds; 55% women) and applied multilevel modeling to examine the covariation of central indicators of well-being (depressive affect) and health (functional limitations) simultaneously at both the between-person and within-person level. At the within-person level, we found evidence of health sensitivity--on occasions when a typical person experienced more functional limitations than usual, he or she also reported more depressive affect--and that health sensitivity decreased with age. Survival analysis revealed that health sensitivity was related to mortality hazards, controlling for mean levels of health and well-being. We discuss the theoretical importance of examining within-person associations between health and well-being and consider practical implications.
Descriptors: Physical Health, Well Being, Depression (Psychology), Quality of Life, Older Adults, Retirement, Longitudinal Studies, Hierarchical Linear Modeling, Age Differences, Correlation, Measures (Individuals), Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Death
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (DHHS)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: RC1AG035645; R01HD076994; R24HD041025; ULTR000127