The effects of attributional retraining, age, and perceived control on health-related cognitions: A longitudinal field study of older adults attending geriatric day hospitals.
Year: 2001
Type: dissertation
Abstract: A perceived control main eflect indicated that high-control, compared to low-control, subjects expressed greater control over FFA, over future health and life in general; were more likely to attribute their exercise performance to effort, and reported greater pride and less helplessness or discouragement about their exercise performance.Two-way and three-way interactions revealed that: AR enhanced perceived control over FFA and over future health and life in general for older-old subjects; AR increased beliefs in powerlul others control over FFA for older-old, low control individuals; and AR increased motivation for young-old, low-control and high-control subjects, and for older-old, high-control subjects.ln addition, low-control subjects reported increased hopefulness following AR.A mixed effect of AR occurred for young-old subjects in that they attributed control over FFA more to chance/luck and expressed a decline in personal control over future health and life in general following AR.These results indicate that AR can be effective for both age groups, but that the effect may be mediated by control perceptions (low-control, high-control).Moreover, AR may induce negative effects for young-old individuals with respect to specific attributions.Findings are discussed within a social cognition framework encompassing perceived control (Perry, 1991), Weiner's attribution theory (Weiner, 1986(Weiner, , 1995)), and attributional retraining (Perry, Hechter, Menec & Weinberg, 1993).The results contribute to the attributional retraining literature and the health and aging literature in that a brief, single application of AR has the potential to enhance perceived control over FFA and to increase exercise motivation in geriatric day hospital clients undergoing physical rehabiliiation.I dedicate this thesis to my parents Aron and Marcia Raber, and to my children Lloyd, Garry, and Shoshana.My research interests in gerontology and geriatrics, health, and perceived control, were inspired by, and grounded in, my parents' life experiences, and the outstanding examples they demonstrated in striving to achieve and maintain control over their lives in the face of often oven¡yhelming health challenges. I thank my parents, my children, my siblings, my cousin Fay
Author: Leah Weinberg
Institution: University of Manitoba
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3194820080