Effects of Activity Limitation and Routinization on Mental Health

Abstract

Habit was measured as a trait of routinization in a sample of 72 older people selected as participants in a study of major life stressors and mental health. The relationship between routinization and psychological distress was assessed by tests of main effects and interactions of one component of routinization (disliking disruption in daily activity), activity limitation and perceived health, and recent stressful life events. Both sets of multiple regression tests of these variables showed significant triple interactions qualifying the significant main effects. The interactions complemented one another, revealing that less routinized participants reported greater distress when experiencing ill health and higher levels of negative events. These effects did not appear for the more highly routinized participants, however. The latter group showed high levels of distress regardless of their activity limitation or perceived health. The results suggest that routinization (in the form of disliking disruption in daily living) is associated with distress beyond the effects of major life stressors.

Keywords

habit routine mental health psychological distress activity restriction/limitation

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