Data from the Older Male Cohort of the National Longitudinal Surveys are analyzed in this study to investigate antecedents of perceptions of personal control. Particular attention is given to the effects of individual health factors. The findings support the life stress model that assumes that social conditions and environmental changes affect individual perceptions of control via opportunities and resources for carrying out efficacious actions. The analysis suggests, however, that various untested moderating conditions determine the nature and direction of the impact. Future investigations are needed to identify these moderating variables and specify their differential effects.
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