Appropriateness of self-care responses to symptoms among elders: Identifying pathways of influence

The purpose of the study was to investigate the separate and joint influenc es of sociodemographic, social situational (social support and interpersona l functioning), and symptom variables on the appropriateness of self-care r esponses to symptoms among elderly people. A cross-section al face-to-face structured interview of a sam pie of noninstitutionalized, English-speaking persons 65 and older living in Minneapolis was used. The theoretical frame work for the investigation was tested using graphical modeling techniques. A majority of the subjects responded appropriately to the symptoms they exp erienced. Gender was a key variable in understanding which of the sociodemo graphic, social support, interpersonal functioning, and symptom variables w ere related to the likelihood that individuals would engage in appropriate self-care. There appear to be fundamental differences in the influence of t he social situational variables for men and women. if these results are con firmed in future studies, different intervention strategies may be needed f or assisting elderly men and women in interpreting and responding to their symptoms. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.