Responding to the dramatic growth in Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs), the present study focused on mental health among older residents in ALFs. We assessed the effects of physical health constraints (chronic conditions, functional disability, and self-rated health) and psychosocial resources (social network, sense of mastery, religiosity, and…

Disability carries negative social meaning, and little is known about when (or if), in the process of health decline, persons identify themselves as "disabled." We examine the social and health criteria that older adults use to subjectively rate their own disability status. Using a panel study of older adults (ages 72+), we estimate…

Since 1972 ,when the city of Miami Beach, Florida initiated redevelopment plans for South Miami Beach, the elderly residents have been besieged by a series of events beyond their control that have left them at risk emotionally and physically. To examine the relative impact of health, personal control, and social support as predictors of affect and…