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European Journal of Ageing

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01.06.2008 | Original Investigation

Serious health events and their impact on changes in subjective health and life satisfaction: the role of age and a positive view on ageing

verfasst von: Susanne Wurm, Martin J. Tomasik, Clemens Tesch-Römer

Erschienen in: European Journal of Ageing | Ausgabe 2/2008

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Abstract

Various studies have pointed to the great importance of subjective health as an indicator for mortality in older age, while less is known about factors that contribute to changes of subjective (self-rated) health over time. Based on a nationwide longitudinal survey (German Ageing Survey, N = 1,286; initial age 40–85), two major findings emerged: first, the incidence of a serious health event caused greater changes in subjective health and life satisfaction in middle compared to older age. This was as expected because serious health events are less common in middle age and are correspondingly experienced more often as an “off-time event”. Secondly, the study extended previous findings on the impact of a positive view of ageing on health by showing that this optimistic view positively affects subjective health and life satisfaction even in the face of a serious health event. Overall, the study indicates that a positive view on ageing is an important psychological resource in the case of a serious health event, both when it occurs on-time or off-time from a developmental perspective.

We additionally computed the regression analyses including serious health events in 1996 (N = 34 or 2.64% of the sample reported on a serious health event in 1996), although we cannot distinguish events in 1996 that occurred before the interview from those after the interview. The results of the analyses were similar to those reported above; however, the interaction effect of serious health event × age was no more significant in the prediction of life satisfaction (β = 0.19, P =0.254). This might be due to the fact that serious health events that occurred before the first interview were also included.

Here too, we additionally computed the regression analyses including serious health events in 1996. The results of the analyses were similar to those reported above including only serious health events from 1997 to 2002.

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Titel: Serious health events and their impact on changes in subjective health and life satisfaction: the role of age and a positive view on ageing
verfasst von: Susanne Wurm
Martin J. Tomasik
Clemens Tesch-Römer
Publikationsdatum: 01.06.2008
Verlag: Springer-Verlag
Erschienen in: European Journal of Ageing / Ausgabe 2/2008
Print ISSN: 1613-9372
Elektronische ISSN: 1613-9380
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-008-0077-5

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