The roles of fatalism, self-confidence, and intellectual resources in the disablement process in older adults

In this study, the authors examined the relations between 3 psychological variables-fatalism, self-confidence, and intellectual resources-and the subsequent development of illness and disability 20 years later in an adult sample. Results indicated that greater fatalism, assessed in 1974, predicted greater difficulty in everyday cognitive tasks as well as illness in 1994. Higher self-confidence in 1974 was associated with lesser degrees of cognitive and fine motor difficulty in 1994. Greater intellectual resources in 1974 (a combination of intellectual flexibility and education) predicted less cognitive and gross motor difficulty as well as lesser degrees of illness in 1994. Some of these relations were stronger for older than for middle-aged individuals. Results are discussed in the context of models of the disablement process.