When Do Older Adults Become “Disabled”? Social and Health Antecedents of Perceived Disability in a Panel Study of the Oldest Old

Author:

Kelley-Moore Jessica A.1,Schumacher John G.2,Kahana Eva3,Kahana Boaz4

Affiliation:

1. Jessica A. Kelley-Moore is Assistant Professor of Sociology and faculty affiliate of the Center for Aging Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her research interests include social influences on health over the life course, the impact of neighborhood and environment on health, racial/ethnic health disparities among older adults, and disability.

2. John G. Schumacher is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and faculty affiliate of the Center for Aging Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. His current research examines the intersection of medical sociology and social gerontology, with a focus on physician-patient interations and the role of health care providers in long-term care.

3. Eva Kahana is Robson Professor of Humanities & Sociology and Director of the Elderly Care Research Center at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Kahana has published extensively in the areas of stress, coping and adaptation among the aged, late-life migration, late-life sequelae of social stress, social organization of health care institutions, intergenerational family relationships, and environmental influences on older persons. Her most recent formulation focuses on health care partnerships and the...

4. Boaz Kahana is Professor of Psychology at Cleveland State University, where he has also served as departmental chairperson and has directed the Center on Aging. He has been awarded NIH research grants dealing with stress and extreme stress among the elderly, and he has served on the editorial boards of Psychology and Aging, Academic Psychology Bulletin, and Mental Health and Aging. Dr. Kahana is author of numerous articles and chapters dealing with stress, coping, and adaptation among the elderly.

Abstract

Disability carries negative social meaning, and little is known about when (or if), in the process of health decline, persons identify themselves as “disabled.” We examine the social and health criteria that older adults use to subjectively rate their own disability status. Using a panel study of older adults (ages 72+), we estimate ordered probit and growth curve models of perceived disability over time. Total prevalent morbidity, functional limitations, and cognitive impairment are predictors of perceived disability. Cessation of driving and receipt of home health care also influence older adults' perceptions of their own disability. A dense social network slowed the rate of labeling oneself disabled, while health anxiety accelerated the process over time, independent of health status. When considering perceived disability, the oldest old use multidimensional criteria capturing function, recent changes in health status and social networks, and anxiety about their health.

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Subject

Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health,Social Psychology

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