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Effects of declines in personal mastery on self-perceived mobility, physical function, cognitive function, and depressive symptoms: a 6-year follow-up study from the Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study

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Abstract

Objectives

As the psychosocial competence, personal mastery helps individuals to cope with stressful life events, and this study aims to examine impacts of declines in personal mastery on healthy aging among community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults using a nationally representative cohort.

Methods

Data from 648 study participants in the Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study (SEBAS) were retrieved for analysis. All participants were divided into four groups based on their baseline and changes of personal mastery (measured by the Pearlin mastery score) during the 6-year follow-up. Multivariate logistic regression models were adopted to examine associations between declines in personal mastery and indicators for healthy aging (declines in self-perceived mobility, physical function (activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)), cognitive function and depressive symptoms).

Results

After adjustments for demographics and comorbidities, those with declines in personal mastery were associated with greater risks of declines in self-perceived mobility (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.50 [95% confidence interval 1.01–2.22], p < 0.05). Although the point estimate in the unadjusted models indicated similar associations between declines in personal mastery and declines in ADLs, IADLs, cognitive function or depressive symptoms, these outcomes did not reach statistical significance in the adjusted model.

Conclusions

Declines in personal mastery were negatively associated with indicators related to healthy aging (particularly locomotion) in a 6-year follow-up. Further investigations are needed to explore the effects of preventing declines in personal mastery in promoting healthy aging over time.

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Data availability

The Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study of the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare provided the database used in this study. All potentially identifying data were encrypted to protect anonymity. Investigators who receive approval of a proposal and sign a data access agreement can request access to the data by contacting the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/pages/).

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Funding

This study was supported by the Taiwan National Science and Technology Council (NSTC 112–2622-8-A49-016-IE and NSTC 112–2923-B-A49 -002 -MY2) and the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Healthy Longevity of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University from The Featured Areas Research Center Program within the framework of the Higher Education Sprout Project by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmacy, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Chieh Shen & Fei-Yuan Hsiao

  2. Graduate Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Room 220, 33, Linsen S. Rd, Taipei, 10050, Taiwan

    Yi-Chin Lin, Hung-Yu Lin & Fei-Yuan Hsiao

  3. Center for Healthy Longevity and Aging Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Liang-Kung Chen

  4. Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Sec 2 Shih-Pai Road, Taipei, Taiwan

    Liang-Kung Chen

  5. Taipei Municipal Gan-Dau Hospital (Managed By Taipei Veterans General Hospital), Taipei, Taiwan

    Liang-Kung Chen

  6. Department of Pharmacy, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

    Fei-Yuan Hsiao

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  1. Chieh Shen
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Contributions

CS, FYH, and LKC helped design the study. CS analyzed the data and wrote the original draft. FYH, LKC, YCL and HYL contributed to conceptualization and critical revision of the manuscript. All of the authors approved the final version of the work.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Liang-Kung Chen or Fei-Yuan Hsiao.

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The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of National Taiwan University Hospital (Registration number, 202204025RINA).

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Shen, C., Lin, YC., Lin, HY. et al. Effects of declines in personal mastery on self-perceived mobility, physical function, cognitive function, and depressive symptoms: a 6-year follow-up study from the Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study. Aging Clin Exp Res 35, 3215–3226 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-023-02613-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-023-02613-6

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