Personality, Life Situation, and Life Expectancy

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This study explores demographic, medical, and psychological variables which appear to be related to survival in institutionalized elderly chronically ill patients. Patients who died within 12 months of an assessment procedure were compared with patients who were still alive over 12 months later. Those who died within the year tended to be younger and less religious, to have a somewhat poorer prognosis, greater cognitive impairment, lower life satisfaction, and higher scores on a suicide potential scale and on an observation checklist of indirectly self‐destructive behaviors.