The structure and health correlates of trait repetitive thought in older adults
Autor: | Audrey Darville, Suzanne C. Segerstrom, Daniel R. Evans, Lindsey J. Schipper, Abbey R. Roach |
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Rok vydání: | 2010 |
Předmět: |
Male
Aging Social Psychology Health Status media_common.quotation_subject Anxiety Neuropsychological Tests Article Developmental psychology Thinking Executive Function medicine Humans Personality Longitudinal Studies Valence (psychology) Aged media_common Aged 80 and over Analysis of Variance Reproducibility of Results Cognition Middle Aged Models Theoretical Executive functions Self Concept Affect Rumination Trait Female Geriatrics and Gerontology medicine.symptom Worry Psychology |
Zdroj: | Psychology and Aging. 25:505-515 |
ISSN: | 1939-1498 0882-7974 |
DOI: | 10.1037/a0019456 |
Popis: | Repetitive thought (RT) involves frequent or prolonged thoughts about oneself and one’s world, encompassing discrete forms such as trait worry, rumination, processing, and reminiscing. These forms of RT can be described using three basic, underlying qualities: total propensity for RT of all types, valence (positive versus negative content), and purpose (searching or uncertainty versus solving or certainty). The adaptiveness of discrete forms with regard to health is likely to be related to these qualities, particularly valence and total propensity. The present study confirmed the model and identified the relationship of these qualities of RT to subjective psychological, physical, and cognitive health in older adults aged 60-94 (N = 179). As predicted, more negatively valenced trait RT was associated with worse psychological, physical, and cognitive health. More total propensity for RT was associated only with worse psychological health. Searching purpose was associated only with worse cognitive health. In turn, negatively valenced RT was predicted by poorer executive functions, suggesting that such functions may be important for directing this quality of RT. The valence of older adults’ RT is important insofar as it may contribute to their sense of good or ill health. However, the propensity for all kinds of RT to associate with poorer psychological health may reflect the co-occurrence of negative and positive RT, such as rumination and emotional processing. Although RT has not been extensively investigated in older adults, it appears to play an important role in their subjective health. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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