Biomaterial Database

Women's roles and health: the mediating effect of perceived control. 1994

S Bullers

Research Institute on Addictions, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.

Research concerning women's roles and health has revealed inconsistencies regarding the effects of work/family roles on women's health. Recent work in this area suggests that role characteristics or role quality may be more important in determining health than simple role occupancy. In addition, it has been suggested that role factors may affect health by increasing or decreasing one's perceptions of personal control over life. This study uses logistic regression techniques on data from the 1987 General Social Survey to explore the effects of roles and role quality on women's health, as well as the mediating effects of perceived control in the relationship between role factors and health. It is hypothesized that (1) role quality variables are better predictors of health than role occupancy, (2) the effects on health of roles, and role quality, are mediated by perceived control. In the role occupancy model, findings show that employment is the only role associated with health, and perceived control does modify this relationship slightly. Both high and low quality employment roles predict better health, whereas only high quality marital roles predict better health. While perceived control does mediate slightly the effects of job quality on health, the positive effects of marital status on health are suppressed slightly by perceived control.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007389	Internal-External Control	Personality construct referring to an individual's perception of the locus of events as determined internally by his or her own behavior versus fate, luck, or external forces. (ERIC Thesaurus, 1996).	Locus of Control,External-Internal Control,Sense of Control,Control Locus,Control, External-Internal,Controls, External-Internal,Controls, Internal-External,Internal-External Controls
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D008960	Models, Psychological	Theoretical representations that simulate psychological processes and/or social processes. These include the use of mathematical equations, computers, and other electronic equipment.	Model, Mental,Model, Psychological,Models, Mental,Models, Psychologic,Psychological Models,Mental Model,Mental Models,Model, Psychologic,Psychologic Model,Psychologic Models,Psychological Model
D009035	Mothers	Female parents, human or animal.	Mothers' Clubs,Club, Mothers',Clubs, Mothers',Mother,Mother Clubs,Mother's Clubs,Mothers Clubs,Mothers' Club
D010549	Personal Satisfaction	The individual's experience of a sense of fulfillment of a need or want and the quality or state of being satisfied.	Life Satisfaction,Satisfaction,Life Satisfactions,Satisfaction, Life,Satisfaction, Personal,Satisfactions, Life
D011795	Surveys and Questionnaires	Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions.	Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D005260	Female		Females
D005783	Gender Identity	A person's concept of self as being male and masculine or female and feminine, or ambivalent, based in part on physical characteristics, parental responses, and psychological and social pressures. It is the internal experience of gender role.	Gender,Gender Identities,Identity, Gender
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293	Adolescent	A person 13 to 18 years of age.	Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths