Health status, the health events of significant others, and health locus of control

As people age, they increasingly observe death and illness among those they know well and care about. We asked two questions concerning this phenomenon: (I) Does observing illness and death among close friends and relatives influence the older person 's sense of control over his or her own health?; and (2) Is this impact, if any, dependent on the individual's own health status? Thus, two models were tested, one for main effects and one for interaction between the health events of significant others and the individual's health status. Data were collected at two points in time from 346 older men and women residing in the Chicago metropolitan area. The results of the investigation support the hypothesis that observing death, illness, and injury among close friends and relatives influences an individual's health locus of control orientation and that this relationship is contingent upon the individual's health status.