Abstract
This article describes change and stability in self-rated health after a major medical event. Using a prospective design, it examines the ability of premorbid and post-illness health perceptions to predict physical disability independently of medical, psychosocial, and behavioral variables. Participants (N=254) were a subsample of the New Haven cohort of the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE) project who had survived hospitalization for stroke, myocardial infarction, or hip fracture. Data came from premorbid EPESE interviews, medical records, and interviews at 6 weeks and at 6 months after hospitalization. Health perceptions did not universally decline after the illness. Self-rated health at 6 weeks predicted disability at 6 months, but premorbid self-rated health did not, suggesting that illness-related changes in health perceptions influenced the recovery process. The effects of 6-week self-rated health on disability were independent of physical inactivity. The mechanisms by which health perceptions influence recovery are unclear.
Keywords
PsychosocialMedicineSelf-rated healthRehabilitationStroke (engine)Medical recordProspective cohort studyGerontologyPhysical therapyPsychiatry
Affiliated Institutions
Related Publications
Functional abilities after stroke: measurement, natural history and prognosis.
Actual functional performance of 976 acute stroke patients was assessed using the Barthel index: the data were analysed to determine the frequency of disability after stroke, th...
The Importance of Co-existent Disease in the Occurrence of Postoperative Complications and One-Year Recovery in Patients Undergoing Total Hip Replacement
Co-existent or comorbid diseases are appreciated as prognostic factors in studies of quality and effectiveness of care when mortality is the end point. The need to measure and a...
Initial Experience of a Digital Training Resource for Modified Rankin Scale Assessment in Clinical Trials
Background and Purpose— The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) is the preferred measure of disability in cerebrovascular clinical trials, but its value is restricted by interobserver v...
Persistent Diarrhea Signals a Critical Period of Increased Diarrhea Burdens and Nutritional Shortfalls: A Prospective Cohort Study among Children in Northeastern Brazil
Persistent diarrhea (PD; duration >/=14 days) is a growing part of the global burden of diarrheal diseases. A 45-month prospective cohort study (with illness, nutritional, and m...
A prospective study of functional status among community elders.
A six-year prospective study provides estimates of functional status (independent, dependent, nursing home resident, or deceased) according to age, gender, and previous function...
Publication Info
- Year
- 1996
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 51B
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- S96-S104
- Citations
- 151
- Access
- Closed
External Links
Social Impact
Altmetric
PlumX Metrics
Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions
Citation Metrics
151
OpenAlex
Cite This
Victoria L. Wilcox,
S. V. Kasl,
Ellen Idler
(1996).
Self-Rated Health and Physical Disability in Elderly Survivors of a Major Medical Event.
The Journals of Gerontology Series B
, 51B
(2)
, S96-S104.
https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/51b.2.s96
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1093/geronb/51b.2.s96