The relationship of family variables to locus of control, under the hypothesis that a larger and more cohesive family provides greater reinforcement for the elderly person's actions was investigated. Elderly persons (N=200) aged 60-90 were interviewed at home and given Rotter's I-E scale. In a regression analysis, after removing effects of age and…

Perceptions of 160 institutionalized and 207 noninstitutionalized old people (mean age = 76.6 yrs.) were examined with respect to the quality of their family relations. Responses to six survey items measuring satisfaction with various aspects of family relations were cross-tabulated with gender, marital status, health status, age, and living…

This paper explores the relationships among ethnicity, age and inherent social dilemmas. The study examines selected dependent variables (economic and health indicators, social interaction, and life satisfaction items) in an effort to determine the extent to which different configurations of age, ethnicity and socioeconomic status produce varying…

Using a sample of 757 middle-aged and older residents of the Atlanta metropolitan region, the relationship between primary group contact and morale was investigated. With a control for sex and dependency, results indicated that: (1) interaction with children has a negative impact on the morale of dependent, older males; (2) visits with children…

A study investigated whether the interactive behaviors of elderly individuals were significantly influenced by their environment. The key to the investigation was the notion that human interaction can function to aid elderly individuals as they adapt to aging. Subjects were individuals over 65 years of age living in one of three separate…