QUALITY OF LIFE, HEALTH, AND VALUATION OF LIFE BY ELDERS

描述（改编自研究者摘要）：虚弱的过程 和慢性疾病将被跟踪超过6年的变化， 与生活质量相关的特征， 临终态度和行为。该研究假设， 认知情感图式，生命价值（VOL），受 背景因素、健康、生活质量和心理健康。VOL是 人对这些输入的转换，并建议作为主要的决定因素 的态度和行为有关的扩展与缩短的 生活主要的假设是，生活的愿望不仅减少了 痛苦，但可能会增加一些积极的特点，在人的日常生活 生活招募了600名健康状况良好和较差的老人， 参加结构化面试，并开始第二轮面试。 采访本提案将把后续期延长至6年， 预计270例患者将保持独立，170例患者将依赖ADL，160例患者将 死的6年来期望寿命的变化将根据以下方面进行分析： 健康，生活质量，心理健康和VOL的变化。虽然多种 合并症是规则，将寻求5种疾病的特定轨迹 疾病组：充血性心力衰竭，肠癌，糖尿病，关节炎， 和透析患者中的肾脏疾病。所有分析将由 种族（50%非裔美国人）和性别。结果将有助于 临床实践针对个人的福祉和社会 政策问题，其中涉及生活质量作为一个基本原理， 医疗费用的分配。一种宗教应对方式，信任 关系上帝，被假设为健康威胁的调节者，因为它 影响心理健康和音量。

DESCRIPTION (adapted from the investigator's abstract): The course of frailty and chronic illness will be tracked over 6 years in terms of changes in a set of characteristics that are related to quality of life and potentially to end-of-life attitudes and behavior. The research hypothesizes a cognitive-affective schema, valuation of life (VOL) that is influenced by background factors, health, quality of life, and mental health. VOL is the person's transformations of these inputs and suggested as the major determinant of attitudes and behaviors relevant to the extension versus foreshortening of life. The major hypotheses are that the wish to live is not only decreased by distress but may be incremented by some positive features in the person's daily life. Six hundred elders in good and poor health were recruited for participation in a structured interview, and are beginning the second round of interviews. The present proposal will extend the follow-up period to 6 years, with 270 expected to remain independent, 170 to be ADL-dependent, and 160 to die. Changes over 6 years in Years of Desired Life will be analyzed in terms o changes in health, quality of life, mental health, and VOL. Although multiple comorbidities are the rule, disease-specific trajectories will be sought for 5 illness groups: Congestive heart failure, bowel cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and renal disease among dialysis patients. All analyses will be performed by race (50% African American) and gender. The results will contribute both to clinical practice directed toward the well-being of individuals and to social policy issues where quality of life is involved as a rationale for the distribution of health care costs. A form of religious coping, trusting relationship God, is hypothesized as a moderator of health threat as it influences mental health and VOL.