Unbound MEDLINE

Felt obligation to help others as a protective factor against losses in psychological well-being following functional decline in middle and later life. The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences [J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci] Journal article

 
TitleFelt obligation to help others as a protective factor against losses in psychological well-being following functional decline in middle and later life.
Author(s)Greenfield EA 
InstitutionSchool of Social Work, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA. egreenf@ssw.rutgers.edu
SourceJ Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2009 Nov; 64(6):723-32.
MeSHActivities of Daily Living
Adaptation, Psychological
Adult
Affect
Aged
Aging
Altruism
Anxiety
Attitude to Health
Depression
Empathy
Female
Grief
Health Surveys
Humans
Intention
Internal-External Control
Male
Middle Aged
Moral Obligations
Motivation
Quality of Life
Questionnaires
Self Concept
Social Responsibility
Social Support
Socioeconomic Factors
United States
AbstractThis study examined felt obligation to help others in two domains (close others and society) as protective factors against losses in psychological well-being following functional decline. Lagged-dependent regression models were estimated using data from 849 respondents aged 35-74 years and without any functional limitations at baseline in the 1995-2005 National Survey of Midlife in the United States. Greater felt obligation to help close others protected against declining self-acceptance in the face of more severe functional decline, and greater felt obligation to help society protected against declining personal growth and self-acceptance. Greater felt obligation to help close others and society protected against increasing depressive symptoms at younger ages in adulthood. Findings suggest the importance for additional research on how aspects of altruism can promote psychological adaptation to declining functional health in middle and later life.
Languageeng
Pub Type(s)Journal Article
PubMed ID19825942
  
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