Do psychosocial profiles predict self-rated health, morbidity and mortality in late middle-aged and older people?

Publication type

Journal Article

Authors

Publication date

June 15, 2014

Summary:

Considering many psychosocial health risk factors are interrelated, determining psychosocial health risk might benefit from a more person-centered perspective. This paper explores to what extent a psychosocial profile that combines potentially synergistic effects of different psychosocial characteristics, including psychological attributes and functioning, coping styles and social support, predicts self-rated health, morbidity and mortality. Prospective, longitudinal data from 1,912 Dutch participants aged 55–91 years were used to determine distinct psychosocial profiles by means of two-step cluster analysis. The predictive power of these profiles over a 5-year follow-up was calculated with Cox regression models for all-cause mortality and general practitioner-diagnosed somatic morbidity, and logistic regression models for self-rated health. Three distinct psychosocial risk profiles emerged: an adverse, an average and a beneficial profile. These profiles strongly predicted self-rated health but not morbidity or mortality. The health effects of the cluster (profile) model suggest synergism between the psychosocial characteristics. Future research should replicate our findings to further validate the approach.

Published in

Journal of Behavioral Medicine

Volume and page numbers

Volume: 37 , p.357 -368

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10865-013-9493-x

ISSN

1607715

Subjects

Notes

Online in Albert Sloman Library, except current 12 months

#521816

News

Latest findings, new research

Publications search

Search all research by subject and author

Podcasts

Researchers discuss their findings and what they mean for society

Projects

Background and context, methods and data, aims and outputs

Events

Conferences, seminars and workshops

Survey methodology

Specialist research, practice and study

Taking the long view

ISER's annual report

Themes

Key research themes and areas of interest