Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Okamoto, K.
Right arrow Articles by Tanaka, Y.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Okamoto, K.
Right arrow Articles by Tanaka, Y.
The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 59:P246-P249 (2004)
© 2004 The Gerontological Society of America

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Subjective Usefulness and 6-Year Mortality Risks Among Elderly Persons in Japan

Kazushi Okamoto1, and Yuko Tanaka2

1 Department of Epidemiology, Aichi Prefectural College of Nursing and Health, Nagoya, Japan.
2 Gerontological Nursing, Aichi Prefectural College of Nursing and Health, Nagoya, Japan.

Address correspondence to Kazushi Okamoto, MD, Aichi Prefectural College of Nursing and Health, Tougoku, Kamishidami, Moriyama-ku, Nagoya, 463-8502, Japan. E-mail: okamoto{at}aichi-nurs.ac.jp

Several studies have demonstrated that the loss of a sense of one's own self-worth has an influence on the health status, psychological functioning, and quality of life in the aged. We used longitudinal data from 784 elderly residents (mean age = 73 years) to examine the relationship between subjective usefulness and 6-year mortality. We hypothesized that subjective usefulness is an important indicator of quality of life among the elderly population, and subsequently of mortality. We elicited information on subjective usefulness at baseline by using a self-administered questionnaire. Results of longitudinal analyses showed that subjective usefulness may be significantly associated with self-rated health and subsequent mortality. This indicates that subjective usefulness plays an important role in enhancing survival in the elderly population.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Gerontol. B Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci.Home page
T. L. Gruenewald, A. S. Karlamangla, G. A. Greendale, B. H. Singer, and T. E. Seeman
Feelings of Usefulness to Others, Disability, and Mortality in Older Adults: The MacArthur Study of Successful Aging
J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., January 1, 2007; 62(1): P28 - P37.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
All GSA journals The Gerontologist
Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
Copyright © 2004 by The Gerontological Society of America.