Effects of declines in personal mastery on self-perceived mobility, physical function, cognitive function, and depressive symptoms: a 6-year follow-up study from the Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study

As the psychosocial competence, personal mastery helps individuals to cope with stressful life events, and this study aims to examine impacts of declines in personal mastery on healthy aging among community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults using a nationally representative cohort. Data from 648 study participants in the Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study (SEBAS) were retrieved for analysis. All participants were divided into four groups based on their baseline and changes of personal mastery (measured by the Pearlin mastery score) during the 6-year follow-up. Multivariate logistic regression models were adopted to examine associations between declines in personal mastery and indicators for healthy aging (declines in self-perceived mobility, physical function (activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)), cognitive function and depressive symptoms). After adjustments for demographics and comorbidities, those with declines in personal mastery were associated with greater risks of declines in self-perceived mobility (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.50 [95