Age Attributions and Aging Health: Contrast Between the United States and Japan

被引:31
作者
Levy, Becca R. [1 ]
Ashman, Ori [2 ]
Slade, Martin D. [1 ]
机构
[1] Yale Univ, Sch Publ Hlth, New Haven, CT 06520 USA
[2] City Univ Hong Kong, Dept Appl Social Studies, Kowloon, Hong Kong, Peoples R China
来源
JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES B-PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES | 2009年 / 64卷 / 03期
关键词
Aging; Japan; Attribution; Culture; Health; OLDER-ADULTS; SELF; CONSTRUCTION; SCALE;
D O I
10.1093/geronb/gbp002
中图分类号
R592 [老年病学]; C [社会科学总论];
学科分类号
03 ; 0303 ; 100203 ;
摘要
Older Americans often attribute health problems to old age, rather than to extenuating circumstances. Previous studies of Americans found that age attributions predict adverse health outcomes. We examined whether culture influences both the tendency to make age attributions and their effect on aging health. We found that (a) Japanese were significantly more likely to make age attributions than Americans; (b) age attributions were significantly associated with worse functional health among older Americans, but not older Japanese; (c) interdependence was significantly higher among older Japanese; and (d) older participants higher in interdependence were less likely to experience the association between greater age attributions and worse functional health. This study suggests the association is not inevitable when culture provides a countervailing force.
引用
收藏
页码:335 / 338
页数:4
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