Author:
Mortimer Jeylan T.,Staff Jeremy
Abstract
AbstractUnderstanding the determinants of subjective or self-rated health (SRH) is of central importance because SRH is a significant correlate of actual health as well as mortality. A large body of research has examined the correlates, antecedents, or presumed determinants of SRH, usually measured at a given time or endpoint. In the present study, we investigate whether individual mastery, a prominent indicator of agency, has a positive effect on SRH over a broad span of the life course. Drawing on longitudinal data from the Youth Development Study (n = 741), we examine the impacts of mastery on SRH over a 24-year period (from ages 21–22 to 45–46). The findings of a fixed effects analysis, controlling time-varying educational attainment, unemployment, age, obesity, serious health diagnoses, and time-constant individual differences, lead us to conclude that mastery is a stable predictor of SRH from early adulthood to mid-life. This study provides evidence that psychological resources influence individuals’ subjective assessment of their health, even when objective physical health variables and socioeconomic indicators are taken into account.
Funder
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Mental Health
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Cited by
4 articles.
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