Locus of control, life stress, and social networks: Gender differences in the health status of the elderly

A sample of community-based older adults were interviewed and given a questionnaire in order to examine the effects of stress, social support, and locus of control on two measures of health: the number of actual symptoms and self-ratings of health. Subjects were 83% white, 63% female, and represented middle- and working-class backgrounds. All variables showed association with symptom levels, and for men, both locus of control and friend support networks predicted subjective ratings of health even after controlling for the level of symptomatology. Moreover, an internal locus of control was found to buffer the deleterious effect of symptoms of physical illness on self-rated health. The results suggest that a supportive network and a sense of control build confidence in one's capacity to cope both with external stressors and with sickness itself, but these factors are stronger influences for males than for females.