The Role of Vision and Hearing in Physical, Social, and Emotional Functioning Among Older Adults

The present study examined the comparative roles of vision and hearing in differentaspects of older individuals' lives. The significance of vision and hearing on physical, social, and emotional functioning (disability, social activity, and depressive symptoms) was assessed along with the role o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research on aging 2003-03, Vol.25 (2), p.172-191
Main Authors: Jang, Yuri, Mortimer, James A., Haley, William E., Small, Brent J., Chisolm, Theresa E. Hnath, Graves, Amy Borenstein
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Correlation analysis
Ears & hearing
Eyes & eyesight
Older people
Personality
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Summary:The present study examined the comparative roles of vision and hearing in differentaspects of older individuals' lives. The significance of vision and hearing on physical, social, and emotional functioning (disability, social activity, and depressive symptoms) was assessed along with the role of personality traits and social resources, using a stratified sample of 425 community-dwelling older individuals (M age = 72.2). Vision was a significant factor for disability, while hearing was significantly associated with social activity, implying the unique contribution of vision and hearing. The association between sensory performance and depressive symptoms became nonsignificant in multivariate analysis. After adjusting for vision and hearing, psychosocial factors increased the amount of explained variance in physical, social, and emotional outcomes. The findings demonstrate the important roles of personality and social resources along with vision and hearing and suggest a need to consider them when planning interventions.
ISSN:0164-0275
1552-7573
DOI:10.1177/0164027502250019