Prediction of everyday task performance in older adults by perceived health, self-efficacy and cognitive ability

• Main Authors: Edward Helmes, Joan Klinger
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2017-12-01
• Series: Cogent Psychology
• Subjects: functional assessment; iadls; cognition; older adults; self-efficacy; physical health
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2017.1297281

While research links neuropsychological performance to everyday functioning in cognitively impaired older adults, comparatively little research has investigated this relationship in unimpaired older people. This study investigated that relationship. A total of 134 independently living adults aged 60–93 years completed Cognistat, the Direct Assessment of Functional Status (DAFS), the Personality in Intellectual-Aging Contexts and a four-item subjective health measure. Hierarchical regression was used to examine the relative ability of these measures to predict the functional domains of the DAFS, hypothesizing that the health and self-efficacy measures would be more strongly associated with DAFS scores than with the cognitive domains. Self-reported health accounted for little variance in all measures, whereas self-efficacy contributed significantly to four functional domains. The cognitive variables contributed to only two domains, with memory the most consistent predictor. The study showed that a brief cognitive measure can partially predict the functional ability of older independently living adults.