Behaviors of Older Men Living in the Community: CORRELATES PRODUCING ACTIVE COMPOSURE

The correlates of active composure behaviors for older veteran men living in the community were investigated to identify this aspect of the complex domain of health behavior. Cox's (1982) Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior was used to frame this investigation. The independent variables were age, education, race, marital status, children, siblings, income, spiritual well-being, functional status, motivation, health conceptions, and loneliness. The dependent variable was Schwirian's (1992) active composure, conceptualized as activities producing rest, relaxation, and anxiety and stress reduction. The sample was male veterans (N = 184) older than 65 who were not living in an institution. A multiple regression model explained 49% of the variance in active composure. Race, income, religious aspect of spiritual well-being, instrumental activities of daily living, and loneliness were significant predictors. Results suggest that nurses may find these correlates helpful in facilitating the identification of risk status and developing active composure self-care strategies for older men living in the community.