Role-Specific Control, Personal Meaning, and Health in Late Life

The purpose of this study is to develop and empirically evaluate a latent variable model that examines the relationships among role-specific control, personal meaning, and health in late life. It is hypothesized that older adults with high levels of role- specific control are likely to develop a deep sense of personal meaning. This conceptual scheme further specifies that elderly people who derive a sense of meaning will, in turn, enjoy better health than older adults who are unable to find meaning in life. Data from a nationwide survey of older people provide support for this theoretical rationale.