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Secondary Control Belief Combinations (Adjustment and Acceptance) and Well-Being in Older Adults*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 September 2013

Audrey U. Swift  and
Judith G. Chipperfield
Audrey U. Swift*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba
Judith G. Chipperfield
Affiliation:
Faculty of Arts, University of Manitoba
*
†Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to / La correspondance et les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être addressees: Audrey Swift, Ph.D. Department of Community Health Sciences Faculty of Medicine University of Manitoba T148 – 770 Bannatyne Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3E 0W3 ([email protected])
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Abstract

Few studies of older individuals have directly assessed secondary control beliefs, previously defined by Morling and Evered in 2006 as a combination of psychological adjustment and acceptance. We classified older adults (n = 223, M age = 85 years, 62% women) into three categories of secondary control beliefs: psychological adjustment only, psychological adjustment and acceptance, and neither psychological adjustment nor acceptance. Relative to individuals who emphasized beliefs about psychological adjustment only, those who emphasized a combination of secondary control beliefs (including both psychological adjustment and acceptance), reported more frequent positive emotions, greater life satisfaction, and less severe chronic conditions. Our findings have implications in both theoretical and applied contexts. Theoretically, our findings extend contemporary thinking on secondary control. In applied contexts, they suggest ways of thinking that could enhance well-being in the very old.

Résumé

Peu d’études sur les personnes âgées ont evalué directement les croyances de contrôle secondaires, défini auparavant par Morling et Evered en 2006 comme une combinaison de l’ajustement psychologique et de l’acceptation. Nous avons classé les personnes âgées (n = 223, M – age de 85 ans, 62% femmes) en trois catégories, selon leurs croyances de contrôle secondaires: l’ajustement psychologique seulement, l’ajustement psychologique et l’acceptation, et ni l’ajustement psychologique ni l’acceptation. Par rapport aux personnes qui ont insisté sur croyances au sujet de l’ajustement psychologique seulement, ceux qui ont souligné une combinaison de croyances de contrôle secondaires—incluant à la fois l’ajustement psychologique et l’acceptation—ont rapporté les émotions positives plus fréquentes, une plus grande satisfaction de vie et les maladies chroniques moins sévères. Nos résultats ont des implications dans les deux contextes, théoriques et appliquées. Théoriquement, nos résultats s’étendent la réflexion contemporaine sur le contrôle secondaire. Dans les paramètres appliqués, ils suggèrent des façons de penser qui peuvent améliorer le bien-être parmi les tres vieux.

Keywords

agingadjustmentacceptancehealthsecondary controlwell-beingvieillissmentajustement psychologiqueacceptationsantécommande secondairebien-être
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 32 , Issue 4 , December 2013 , pp. 349 - 359
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2013 

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Footnotes

*

Financial support for this research was provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in the form of a Canada Graduate Scholarship to Audrey U. Swift and an operating grant to Judith G. Chipperfield (200609MOP-165097-SDA-CDAA-49702).

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