Adaptive midlife defense mechanisms and late-life health.
Adaptive midlife defense mechanisms and late-life health.
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适应性中年防御机制和晚年健康。
DOI：
10.1016/j.paid.2013.01.025
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发表时间：
2013
影响因子：
4.3
通讯作者：
Waldinger,RobertJ
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Malone,JohannaC;Cohen,Shiri;Liu,SabrinaR;Vaillant,GeorgeE;Waldinger,RobertJ
越来越多的研究表明，人格特征与身体健康有关；然而，这种关系主要是在没有跟踪参与者进入老年的横断面研究中测试的。本研究利用一项长达70年的纵向研究数据，前瞻性地考察了中年适应性防御机制与晚年身体健康的客观评估之间的关系。除了检验直接影响之外，我们还测试了社会支持是否会调节这种关系。样本包括90名男性，他们从青春期后期开始被跟踪调查了70多年。医疗记录的健康评级在三个时间点(70岁、75岁和80岁)进行。防御机制是由训练有素的独立评分员根据叙述进行编码的(Vaillant，Bond，&Vaillant，1986)。独立评分者评估了50岁至70岁之间的社会支持。在晚年的所有三个时间点，中年的适应性防御能力都与更好的身体健康相关。这些关系在一定程度上受到社会支持的调节。研究结果与防御成熟对于建立社会关系很重要的理论是一致的，而社会关系反过来有助于晚年更好的身体健康。旨在改善这些领域的心理干预可能对身体健康有益。
A growing body of research suggests that personality characteristics relate to physical health; however, this relationship has primarily been tested in cross-sectional studies that have not followed the participants into old age. The present study utilizes data from a 70-year longitudinal study to prospectively examine the relationship between the adaptive defense mechanisms in midlife and objectively assessed physical health in late life. In addition to examining the direct effect, we test whether social support mediates this relationship. The sample consisted of 90 men who were followed for over seven decades beginning in late adolescence. Health ratings from medical records were made at three time points (ages 70, 75, and 80). Defense mechanisms were coded from narratives by trained independent raters (Vaillant, Bond, & Vaillant, 1986). Independent raters assessed social supports between ages 50 and 70. More adaptive defenses in midlife were associated with better physical health at all three time points in late life. These relationships were partially mediated by social support. Findings are consistent with the theory that defense maturity is important for building social relationships, which in turn contribute to better late-life physical health. Psychological interventions aimed at improving these domains may be beneficial for physical health.