Date of Award
4-1995
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Educational Leadership
First Advisor
Dr. Charles C. Warfield
Second Advisor
Dr. Uldis Smidchens
Third Advisor
Dr. Carl L. Thornton
Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation was to compare and examine the self-evaluated general health status of individuals in a five year longitudinal research study. Self-evaluations of health status have been shown to predict mortality, above and beyond the contribution to prediction made by indices based on the presence of health problems, physical disability, and biological or life-style risk factors.
The association between the stressful events of everyday living and the onset of the disease process suggests the importance of understanding the specific relationship under which stress is likely to result in illness. This research investigated the interrelationship of the different variables that could effect the onset of illness and disease. The review of the literature suggests that unless the stress response leads to feelings of disintegrity, it is not likely to lead to illness.
The sample population was students in the Masters program in Manufacturing Management at GMI in 1988. There were 110 individuals in the program, 87 males and 23 females. There were 87 individuals who returned the Duke Questionnaire.
Eleven hypotheses were investigated, testing the relationship between the individual scores in a Healthwellness pilot study in 1988, and the scores in a followup 1993 longitudinal study. The research issues investigated the reliability and validity of the health measurements, The Duke Health Profile (Parkerson, 1990), The Wright State Measurement of Burnout Questionnaire (Thornton, 1982) and the Hudson Scales (1982). The questionnaires focused on health functions versus general health perceptions. The research investigated the different health related variables over time in a five year longitudinal healthwellness analysis.
The findings indicate that an important dimension reflected by self-evaluated health is the individual’s own perception of their physical and mental health and wellbeing. Self-assessments of health are an important variable in mortality prediction. They are inexpensive, easy to obtain, and readily available, as used in the questionnaires in this research.
Access Setting
Dissertation-Open Access
Recommended Citation
White, Howard Allen, "Stress and Healthwellness, a Longitudinal Study" (1995). Dissertations. 1796.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/1796