Perceived Barriers in Coping with Health Problems

Gerontologists have become increasingly concerned about the long-term implications of perceived barriers to health, the most often studied barrier being perceived loss of control. Using data from a large-scale longitudinal project, the Aging in Manitoba Studies, the present study (N= 4,317) examined perceived barriers in the management of health problems. Three types of perceived health barriers (PHBs) were considered: control barriers (perceived lack of control over health care and inability to manage health), personal barriers (language and memory deficits), and societal barriers (transportation and financial problems). PHBs were examined as predictors of mortality 12 years later. Control and personal barriers predicted the likelihood of dying within 12 years, even after controlling for initial health status, age, gender, income, and education. Subsequent analyses further indicated that the PHB-mortality association was not significant among elders who began the study in good health