Full Citation
Title: Agency and subjective health from early adulthood to mid-life: evidence from the prospective Youth Development Study
Citation Type: Journal Article
Publication Year: 2022
ISBN: 0123456789
ISSN: 2731-0469
DOI: 10.1007/S44155-022-00006-0
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Abstract: Understanding the determinants of subjective or self-rated health (SRH) is of central importance because SRH is a significant correlate of actual health as well as mortality. A large body of research has examined the correlates, antecedents, or presumed determinants of SRH, usually measured at a given time or endpoint. In the present study, we investigate whether individual mastery, a prominent indicator of agency, has a positive effect on SRH over a broad span of the life course. Drawing on longitudinal data from the Youth Development Study (n = 741), we examine the impacts of mastery on SRH over a 24-year period (from ages 21–22 to 45–46). The findings of a fixed effects analysis, controlling time-varying educational attainment, unemployment, age, obesity, serious health diagnoses, and time-constant individual differences, lead us to conclude that mastery is a stable predictor of SRH from early adulthood to mid-life. This study provides evidence that psychological resources influence individuals’ subjective assessment of their health, even when objective physical health variables and socioeconomic indicators are taken into account.
Url: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44155-022-00006-0
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Authors: Mortimer, Jeylan T.; Staff, Jeremy
Periodical (Full): Discover Social Science and Health 2022 2:1
Issue: 1
Volume: 2
Pages: 1-14
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