LIFE CHANGES, LOCUS OF CONTROL AND METABOLIC SYNDROME PRECURSORS HN ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG-ADULTS - A 3-YEAR FOLLOW-UP

The relations between life changes, locus of control and changes in th e parameters of the metabolic syndrome were examined. A three-year fol low-up study of 671 randomly selected, healthy adolescents and young a dults was used, Somatic parameters measured both at the baseline and t he follow-up were serum insulin, serum HDL chol, serum triglyceride, S BP and BMI. Locus of control was measured with the Nowicki-Strickland locus of control scale and subjects were asked about life changes that they had faced during the follow-up period. Results showed that, in w omen, there were significant main effects for life changes in predicti ng (high) somatic risk level, whereas, in men, an opposite association was found. in addition, locus of control had a moderating effect on t he life change-metabolic parameters relation, i.e. most of the life ch anges predicted a lower level of somatic risk in subjects with an exte rnal rather than internal locus of control. Results question the unive rsal applicability of beneficial health effects of internal locus of c ontrol. It was suggested that accumulation of life changes might contr ibute, in interaction with locus of control, to the early development of the metabolic syndrome. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd