Influence of Psychosocial Development and Life Events on the Health Practices of Adults

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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine variables believed to contribute to healthy life-styles of adults. Psychosocial development and the presence of stressors (i.e., life changes) were selected for the potential contribution they make to the practice of health behaviors of adults. Psychosocial theory of development and theory of human adaptation provided the conceptual framework that guided the investigation. Using a survey design, three self-report instruments were mailed to 216 potential subjects. The study participants (N - 156) were employees (current or retired) of a large midwinter university ranging in age from 24 to 80. The results revealed that the means for each stage of psychosocial development were at the upper end of the scale. Positive resolution of intimacy, the stage of early adulthood, was more strongly correlated with the health practices than the remaining seven stages, and four of the stages were significantly associated with the practice of healthy behaviors. Exposure to stressors as measured by life changes increased the predictive values of two of the subscales of the total health behaviors score, nutrition and safety. Stressors and their impact did not, in general, lend strength to the predictive value of healthy life-styles.

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