Predicates of Personal Control among Middle-Aged and Young-Old Men and Women in Middle America*

Abstract

These analyses explore relationships between the conscious general sense of control and :1) personal evaluations of major life domains (health, spouse's health, marriage, parenting, work, leisure): and 2) spouse's evaluations of life domains, within groups defined by gender and age. Respondents include 101 men and 127 women; all are Caucasian; they reside in a middle-class community in the midwestem United States; they are aged forty-three to seventy-six (M = 56); they are all in long-term marriages, with an average of 4.4 children; and 73 percent had at least one child living at home. Evaluations of life domains included self-report satisfaction and investment scales completed after personal interview questions about the domain. There were no gender differences and minimal age differences in levels of sense of control or evaluations of the life domains. However, as expected, multiple regression analyses indicated that the evaluations that contribute to a sense of control vary by gender and be age group within gender group. For men, the sense of control is linked to experiences in work; for younger middle-aged men, satisfaction with health is important; and for older men, investment in marriage is also important. Younger middle-aged women's sense of mastery is tied to satisfaction with mothering and investment in their own health; older women's sense of control is linked to satisfaction with marriage, health, and leisure. Age group patterns may reflect both developmental and cohort effects.