Crowding effects of density and personal space requirements among older people: The impact of self-control and social support

The authors examined the effects of self-control and social support among a representative sample of 300 older people, 150 in high-density and 150 in low-density households in India. The Self-Control Schedule (M. Rosenbaum, 1 980), the Comfortable Interpersonal Distance Test (M. Duke & S. Nowicki, 19 72), the Social Support Questionnaire, and the Judgement of Environmental Q uality Scale (I. G. Sarason, H. M. Levine, R. B. Basham, & B. R. Sarason, 1 983) were the measures. A 2 x 2 x 2 (Density x Social Support x Self-Contro l) analysis of variance for perceptions of home environment and personal sp ace requirements revealed that the Self-Control x Social Support interactio n moderated the crowding effects of density: The participants in high-densi ty households evaluated their home environments more positively and reduced their personal space requirements.