Institutionalization and Personal Control

Abstract

The relationship between perceived personal control over the events of daily life and institutionalization is examined through a panel study of 151 impaired older individuals who were interviewed at two points in time six months apart. Institutionalization between the initial and follow-up interviews reduced perceived control even when taking into account functional status and sociodemographic variables. Furthermore, the decline in perceived control was greater among the less educated and more functionally impaired and those with more negative life events.