220
Views
9
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

The Relation of Social Comparison to Subjective Well-Being and Health Status in Older Adults

&
Pages 121-142 | Published online: 12 Oct 2008

References

  • Andrews , F. M. and Robinson , J. P. 1991 . “ Measures of subjective well-being ” . In Measures of personality and social psychological attitudes , Edited by: Robinson , J. P. , Shaver , P. R. and Wrightsman , L. S. San Diego, CA : Academic Press .
  • Bailis , D. S. and Chipperfield , J. G. 2006 . Emotional and self-evaluative effects of social comparison information in later life: How are they moderated by collective self-esteem? . Psychology and Aging , 21 : 291 – 302 .
  • Bailis , D. S. , Chipperfield , J. G. and Perry , R. P. 2005 . Optimistic social comparisons of older adults low in primary control: A prospective analysis of hospitalization and mortality . Health Psychology , 24 : 393 – 401 .
  • Blanchard-Fields , F. , Chen , Y. and Norris , L. 1997 . Everyday problem solving across the adult life span: Influence of domain specificity and cognitive appraisal . Psychology and Aging , 12 : 684 – 693 .
  • Bowling , A. 1997 . Measuring health: A review of quality of life measurement scales , Philadelphia, PA : Open University Press .
  • Bradburn , N. M. and Caplovitz , D. 1965 . Reports on happiness , Chicago, IL : Aldine .
  • Brickman , P. , Coates , D. and Janoff-Bulman , R. 1978 . Lottery winners and accident victims: Is happiness relative? . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 36 : 917 – 927 .
  • Bush , J. W. 1984 . “ General health policy model/quality of well-being (QWB) scale ” . In Assessment of quality of life in clinical trials of cardiovascular therapies , Edited by: Wenger , N. K. , Mattson , M. E. , Furberg , C. D. and Elinson , J. New York : LeJacq .
  • Butler , R. N. 1963 . The life review: An interpretation of reminiscence in the aged . Psychiatry , 26 : 65 – 76 .
  • Buunk , B. P. , Collins , R. L. , Taylor , S. E. , Van Yperen , N. W. and Dakof , G. A. 1990 . The affective consequences of social comparison: Either direction has its ups and downs . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 59 : 1238 – 1249 .
  • Carter , S. D. 2004 . Reexamining the temporal aspects of affect: Relationships between repeatedly measured affective state, subjective well-being, and affective disposition . Personality and Individual Differences , 36 : 381 – 391 .
  • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services . The nation's health dollar: 2000 Retrieved July 24, 2002, from http://www.cms.hhs.gov/statistics/nhe/historical/chart.asp(n.d.)
  • Deeg , D. J. H. and van Zonneveld , R. J. 1989 . “ Does happiness lengthen life? The prediction of longevity in the elderly ” . In How harmful is happiness? Consequences of enjoying life or not , Edited by: Veenhoven , R. Rotterdam, , The Netherlands : Universitaire Pers Rotterdam .
  • Diener , E. 1984 . Subjective well-being . Psychological Bulletin , 95 : 542 – 575 .
  • Diener , E. and Fujita , F. 1997 . “ Social comparisons and subjective well-being ” . In Health, coping and wellbeing: Perspectives from social comparisons theory , Edited by: Buunk , B. P. and Gibbons , F. X. Mahwah, NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum .
  • Diener , E. and Lucas , R. E. 2000 . “ Subjective emotional well-being ” . In Handbook of emotions , Edited by: Lewis , M. and Haviland-Jones , J. M. New York : Guilford Press .
  • Diener , E. , Suh , E. M. , Lucas , R. E. and Smith , H. L. 1999 . Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress . Psychological Bulletin , 125 : 276 – 302 .
  • Efklides , A. , Kalaitzidou , M. and Chankin , G. 2003 . Subjective quality of life in old age in Greece: The effect of demographic factors, emotional states, and adaptation to aging . European Psychologist , 8 ( 3 ) : 178 – 191 .
  • Fairclough , D. L. 2002 . Design and analysis of quality of life studies in clinical trials , Boca Raton, FL : Chapman & Hall/CRC .
  • Festinger , L. 1954 . A theory of social comparison processes . Human Relations , 7 : 117 – 140 .
  • Fiske , S. T. and Taylor , S. E. 1991 . Social cognition , San Francisco : McGraw Hill .
  • Haas , L. J. , Spendlove , D. C. and Silver , M. P. 2001 . Expanding mental health services to older high utilizing HMO patients: A pilot study . Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings , 8 : 189 – 197 .
  • Haight , B. K. , Michel , Y. and Hendrix , S. 2000 . The extended effects of life review in nursing home residents . International Journal of Aging and Human Development , 50 : 151 – 168 .
  • Heidrich , S. M. and Ryff , C. D. 1993a . Physical and mental health in later life: The self-system as mediator . Psychology and Aging , 8 : 327 – 338 .
  • Heidrich , S. M. and Ryff , C. D. 1993b . The role of social comparison processes in the psychological adaptation of elderly adults . Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences , 48B : P127 – P136 .
  • Helgeson , V. S. and Mickelson , K. 2000 . “ Coping with chronic illness among the elderly: Maintaining self-esteem ” . In Behavior, Health, and Aging , Edited by: Manuck , S. B. , Jennings , R. , Rabin , B. S. and Balm , A. 153 – 178 . Mahwah, NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc .
  • Holosko , M. J. and Holosko , D. A. 1991 . “ What's unique about social work practice with the elderly ” . In Social work practice with the elderly , Edited by: Holosko , M. J. and Feit , M. D. Toronto, , Canada : Canadian Scholars' Press .
  • Jones , T. G. , Rapport , L. J. , Hanks , R. A. , Lichtenberg , P. A. and Telmet , K. 2003 . Cognitive and psychosocial predictors of subjective well-being in urban older adults . Clinical Neuropsychologist , 17 ( 1 ) : 3 – 18 .
  • Kline , R. B. 1998 . Principles and practice of structural equation modeling , New York : Guilford Press .
  • Kozma , A. , Stones , M. J. and McNeil , J. K. 1991 . Psychological well-being in later life , Vancouver, British Columbia, , Canada : Butterworths .
  • Kwan , C. M. J. , Love , G. D. , Ryff , C. D. and Essex , M. J. 2003 . The role of self-enhancing evaluations in a successful life transition . Psychology and Aging , 18 ( 1 ) : 3 – 12 .
  • Lantz , J. 1996 . “ Cognitive theory and social work treatment ” . In Social work treatment: Interlocking theoretical approaches , 4th ed. , Edited by: Turner , F. 94 – 115 . Amityville, NY : Baywood .
  • Lazarus , R. S. and Folkman , S. 1984 . Stress, appraisal and coping , New York : Springer .
  • Lewis , J. S. 1996 . Sense of coherence and the strengths perspective with older persons . Journal of Gerontological Social Work , 26 ( 3/4 ) : 99 – 112 .
  • Lish , J. D. , Zimmerman , M. , Farber , N. J. , Lush , D. , Kuzma , M. A. and Plescia , G. 1995 . Psychiatric screening in geriatric primary care: Should it be for depression alone? . Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology , 8 : 141 – 153 .
  • Maier , H. and Smith , J. 1999 . Psychological predictors of mortality in old age . Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences , 54 : 44 – 54 .
  • Marshall , V. W. and Altpeter , M. 2005 . Cultivating social work leadership in health promotion and aging: Strategies for active aging interventions . Health & Social Work , 30 : 135 – 144 .
  • Martin , L. R. , Friedman , H. S. , Tucker , J. S. , Schwartz , J. E. , Criqui , M. H. Wingard , D. L. 1995 . An archival prospective study of mental health and longevity . Health Psychology , 14 : 381 – 387 .
  • Merriam , S. B. 1995 . “ Butler's life review: How universal is it ” . In The meaning of reminiscence and life review , Edited by: Hendricks , J. 7 – 20 . Amityville, NY : Baywood .
  • Michalos , A. C. 1985 . Multiple discrepancies theory . Social Indicators Research , 16 : 347 – 413 .
  • Neugarten , B. L. , Havighurst , R. J. and Tobin , S. S. 1961 . The measurement of life satisfaction . Journal of Gerontology , 16 : 134 – 143 .
  • Okun , M. A. , Stock , W. A. , Haring , M. J. and Witter , R. A. 1984 . Health and subjective well-being: A meta-analysis . International Journal of Aging and Human Development , 19 : 111 – 132 .
  • Parkinson , B. and Manstead , A. S. R. 1993 . Making sense of emotion in stories and social life . Cognition and Emotion , 7 : 295 – 323 .
  • Patrick , D. L. and Erickson , P. 1993 . Health status and health policy: Allocating resources to health care , New York : Oxford University Press .
  • Patrick , D. L. , Grembowski , D. , Durham , M. , Beresford , S. A. A. Ehreth , Diehr J.P. 1999 . Cost and outcomes of Medicare reimbursement for HMO preventive services . Health Care Financing Review , 20 ( 4 ) : 25 – 43 .
  • Patrick , D. L. , Ramsey , S. D. , Spencer , A. C. , Kinne , S. , Belza , B. and Topolski , T. D. 2001 . Economic evaluation of aquatic exercise for persons with osteoarthritis . Medical Care , 5 : 413 – 424 .
  • Peck , M. D. 2001 . Looking back at life and its influence on subjective well-being . Journal of Gerontological Social Work , 35 ( 2 ) : 3 – 20 .
  • Penninx , B. W J. H. , Geerlings , S. W. , Deeg , D. J. H. , van Eijk , J. T. M. , van Tilburg , W. and Beekman , A. T. F. 1999 . Minor and major depression and the risk of death in older persons . Archives of General Psychiatry , 56 : 889 – 895 .
  • Pinquart , M. and Sorensen , S. 2001 . How effective are psychotherapeutic and other psychosocial interventions with older adults? A meta-analysis . Journal of Mental Health and Aging , 7 : 207 – 243 .
  • Radloff , L. S. 1977 . The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population . Applied Psychological Measurement , 1 : 385 – 401 .
  • Rejeski , W. J. , Shelton , B. , Miller , M. , Dunn , A. L. , King , A. C. and Sallis , J. F. 2001 . Mediators of increased physical activity and change in subjective well-being: Results from the activity counseling trial (ACT) . Journal of Health Psychology , 6 : 159 – 168 .
  • Rizzo , J. A. , Baker , D. I. , McAvay , G. and Tinetti , M. E. 1996 . The cost-effectiveness of a multifactorial targeted prevention program for falls among community elderly persons . Medical Care , 34 : 954 – 969 .
  • Robinson , S. W. and Kiecolt-Glaser , J. 1997 . The importance of social versus temporal comparison appraisals among older adults . Journal of Applied Social Psychology , 27 : 959 – 966 .
  • Schimmack , U. , Radhakrishnan , P. , Oishi , S. , Dzokoto , V. and Ahadi , S. 2002 . Culture, personality, and subjective well-being: Integrating process models of life satisfaction . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 82 : 582 – 593 .
  • Schoevers , R. A. , Beekman , A. T. F. , van Tilburg , W. , Deeg , D. J. H. , Jonker , C. , Geerlings , M. I. and Penninx , B. W. J. H. 2000 . Association of depression and gender with mortality in old age: Results from the Amsterdam Study of the Elderly (AMSTEL) . British Journal of Psychiatry , 177 : 336 – 342 .
  • Schwarz , N. and Strack , F. 1999 . “ Reports of subjective well-being: Judgmental processes and their methodological implications ” . In Well-being: The foundations of hedonic psychology , Edited by: Kahneman , D. , Diener , E. and Schwarz , N. 61 – 84 . New York : Russell Sage Foundation .
  • Shahtahmasebi , S. , Davies , R. and Wegner , G. C. 1992 . A longitudinal analysis of factors related to survival in old age . Gerontologist , 32 : 404 – 413 .
  • Sheldon , K. M. , Elliot , A. J. , Ryan , R. M. , Chirkov , V. , Kim , Y. M. , Wu , C. , Demir , M. and Sun , Z. 2004 . Self-concordance and subjective well-being in four cultures . Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology , 35 ( 2 ) : 209 – 223 .
  • Sheldon , K. M. and Houser-Marko , L. 2001 . Self-concordance, goal attainment, and the pursuit of happiness: Can there be an upward spiral? . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 80 : 152 – 165 .
  • Sherrard , C. 1998 . Strategies for well-being in later life: A qualitative analysis . British Journal of Medical Psychology , 71 : 253 – 263 .
  • Stallings , M. C. , Dunham , C. C. , Gatz , M. , Baker , L. A. and Bengston , V. L. 1997 . Relationships among life events and psychological well-being: More evidence for a two-factor theory of well-being . Journal of Applied Gerontology , 16 : 104 – 119 .
  • Staudinger , U. M. , Bluck , S. and Herzberg , P. Y. 2003 . Looking back and looking ahead: Adult age differences in consistency of diachronous ratings of subjective well-being . Psychology and Aging , 18 ( 1 ) : 13 – 24 .
  • Unützer , J. , Patrick , D. L. , Marmon , T. , Simon , G. E. and Katon , W. J. 2002 . Depressive symptoms and mortality in a prospective study of 2,558 older adults . American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry , 10 : 521 – 530 .
  • Wheeler , L. 1966 . Motivation as a determinant of upward comparison . Journal of Experimental Social Psychology , : 27 – 31 .
  • Wills , T. A. 1981 . Downward comparison principles in social psychology . Psychological Bulletin , 90 : 245 – 271 .
  • Wood , J. V. , Taylor , S. E. and Lichtman , R. R. 1985 . Social comparison in adjustment to breast cancer . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 49 : 1169 – 1183 .
  • Zank , S. and Schacke , C. 2002 . Evaluation of geriatric day care units: Effects on patients and caregivers . Journals of Gerontology , 57B : 348 – 357 .

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.