OBJECTIVE: Self-rated health (SRH) is known to predict mortality and other health outcomes better than objective ratings, suggesting that patients have important knowledge that physicians do not. The study assessed whether SRH reflects changes in internal states, specifically symptoms and affects. METHOD: In an event-sampling study, 54 elders completed a SRH measure, positive and negative affect scale, a symptom checklist, and a pain scale every evening for 8 weeks. Using lagged (time series) hierarchical regression, the authors modeled associations of SRH with previous symptoms, moods, and changes in symptoms and mood. RESULTS: The SRH was highest when symptoms had decreased from the previous day and lowest when symptoms had increased, suggesting that SRH reflects a sense of change. Symptoms and affects contributed independently to SRH. Self-rated health was more sensitive to positive than negative affect and also sensitive to changes of positive but not negative affect. DISCUSSION: Patients may possess a subjective trajectory of health-an awareness of changes in symptoms and affect. This trajectory may constitute an important component of SRH and help to explain its ability to predict health outcomes.
OBJECTIVE: Self-rated health (SRH) is known to predict mortality and other health outcomes better than objective ratings, suggesting that patients have important knowledge that physicians do not. The study assessed whether SRH reflects changes in internal states, specifically symptoms and affects. METHOD: In an event-sampling study, 54 elders completed a SRH measure, positive and negative affect scale, a symptom checklist, and a pain scale every evening for 8 weeks. Using lagged (time series) hierarchical regression, the authors modeled associations of SRH with previous symptoms, moods, and changes in symptoms and mood. RESULTS: The SRH was highest when symptoms had decreased from the previous day and lowest when symptoms had increased, suggesting that SRH reflects a sense of change. Symptoms and affects contributed independently to SRH. Self-rated health was more sensitive to positive than negative affect and also sensitive to changes of positive but not negative affect. DISCUSSION: Patients may possess a subjective trajectory of health-an awareness of changes in symptoms and affect. This trajectory may constitute an important component of SRH and help to explain its ability to predict health outcomes.
Authors: Margaret G Stineman; Dawei Xie; Qiang Pan; Jibby E Kurichi; Debra Saliba; Joel Streim Journal: J Am Geriatr Soc Date: 2011-03-01 Impact factor: 5.562
Authors: Randi E Foraker; Kathryn M Rose; Patricia P Chang; Ann M McNeill; Chirayath M Suchindran; Elizabeth Selvin; Wayne D Rosamond Journal: Age Ageing Date: 2011-07-07 Impact factor: 10.668
Authors: Miriam N Lango; Brian Egleston; Carolyn Fang; Barbara Burtness; Thomas Galloway; Jeffrey Liu; Ranee Mehra; Barbara Ebersole; Kathleen Moran; John A Ridge Journal: Cancer Date: 2013-12-18 Impact factor: 6.860
Authors: Henneke Versteeg; Susanne S Pedersen; Ruud A M Erdman; Josephine W I van Nierop; Peter de Jaegere; Ron T van Domburg Journal: Qual Life Res Date: 2009-07-19 Impact factor: 4.147