TY - JOUR
T1 - Emotional vitality among disabled older women
T2 - The Women's Health and Aging Study
AU - Penninx, Brenda W.J.H.
AU - Guralnik, Jack M.
AU - Simonsick, Eleanor M.
AU - Kasper, Judith D.
AU - Ferrucci, Luigi
AU - Fried, Linda P.
PY - 1998/1/1
Y1 - 1998/1/1
N2 - OBJECTIVE: To examine correlates of high overall level of emotional functioning (emotional vitality) in disabled older women. DESIGN: A community-based study: The Women's Health and Aging Study. POPULATION: A total of 1002 moderately to severely disabled women aged 65 and older living in the community. MEASUREMENTS: Emotional vitality was defined as having a high sense of personal mastery, being happy, and having low depressive symptomatology and anxiety. Correlations with demographics, health status, and social context were examined. RESULTS: Despite their physical disabilities, 35% of the 1002 disabled older women were emotionally vital. The percent of emotionally vital women declined with increasing severity of disability. After adjustment for disability status, a significantly increased likelihood for being emotionally vital was found for black race (OR = 1.69) and for having higher income (OR = 1.77), better cognition (OR = 2.36), no vision problems (OR = 1.61), adequate emotional support (OR = 2,54), and many face-to-face contacts (OR = 1.64). Having more than one negative life event reduced the likelihood of emotional vitality (OR = 0.57). CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of even the most disabled older women can be described as emotionally vital. Findings also suggest that emotional vitality is not solely a function of stable, enduring individual characteristics but that health status, disability, and sociodemographic context also have an influence on emotional vitality.
AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine correlates of high overall level of emotional functioning (emotional vitality) in disabled older women. DESIGN: A community-based study: The Women's Health and Aging Study. POPULATION: A total of 1002 moderately to severely disabled women aged 65 and older living in the community. MEASUREMENTS: Emotional vitality was defined as having a high sense of personal mastery, being happy, and having low depressive symptomatology and anxiety. Correlations with demographics, health status, and social context were examined. RESULTS: Despite their physical disabilities, 35% of the 1002 disabled older women were emotionally vital. The percent of emotionally vital women declined with increasing severity of disability. After adjustment for disability status, a significantly increased likelihood for being emotionally vital was found for black race (OR = 1.69) and for having higher income (OR = 1.77), better cognition (OR = 2.36), no vision problems (OR = 1.61), adequate emotional support (OR = 2,54), and many face-to-face contacts (OR = 1.64). Having more than one negative life event reduced the likelihood of emotional vitality (OR = 0.57). CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of even the most disabled older women can be described as emotionally vital. Findings also suggest that emotional vitality is not solely a function of stable, enduring individual characteristics but that health status, disability, and sociodemographic context also have an influence on emotional vitality.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0031870713&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.1998.tb02712.x
DO - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.1998.tb02712.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 9670865
SN - 0002-8614
VL - 46
SP - 807
EP - 815
JO - Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
JF - Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
IS - 7
ER -