Amanda M. Morrison amorriso@anselm.edu
Relationship Between Locus of
Control and Physical Health in College Students
with Asthma
| Background | Research Question | Method |
| Results | Implications | Relevant Links |
BackgroundMany psychological studies have been conducted to examine the role of personality in physical health. Locus of Control, (LOC) is a personality construct that has been found to play a major role in physical health. Locus of Control refers to the beliefs a person has about their control over different situations, either external or internal. People who have a more internal locus of control believe they are responsible for their experiences and have the power to change their own situations through their actions. External individuals feel they have very little control, if any, over changing their situation (Lefcourt, 2000). Patients deal with physical illness differently depending on whether they are more internal or external. As the definition of the two types suggests, the external individuals deal passively with their illness, putting the control in something or someone other than themselves. Internal individuals take a more active role by performing health behaviors beneficial to their recovery (Lefcourt, 2000). In patients with chronic illness, the relationship between locus of control and physical health is the most apparent. In chronic illness, performing health behaviors are critical in maintaining optimum health. Therefore, it is necessary for chronically ill patients to adopt a more internal locus of control in order to more effectively deal with their disease and maintain better physical health.
One study in particular that examined the effects of locus of control on the physical health of chronically ill patients was done by Wallhagen and Brod in 1997. They investigated the interrelationships between perceived control and well being in Parkinson's patients. Results indicated that the degree of control they felt they had over their disease was significantly related to the patient's well being. For each point increase in LOC (more internal), there was almost a three point increase in patient well being (Wallhagen & Brod, 1997). This study provides support for the idea that in chronically ill patients, the locus of control of the patient is strongly associated with the patient's physical well being. The current study examines this same relationship in students with asthma, another form of chronic illness.
Research QuestionThe purpose of the current study was to 1) determine if the chronically ill sample, those suffering from asthma, differ in the mean degree of internality when compared to the control group, 2) determine if the control group differs from the asthmatic group in their ratings of physical health, and 3) determine if a relationship exists between locus of control and physical health and see if there is a difference between the two groups.
MethodParticipants in the current study were recruited from a small, Catholic, liberal arts college in the northeast. There were twenty- four participants in all, eleven were diagnosed with asthma and thirteen without a diagnosis of asthma. Within the asthma group there were five males and six females and within the non- asthma group there were seven males and six females. The participants ranged in age from 18 to 22 years old. The materials used were the revised Locus of Control and Attributional Style Inventory (Jerabek, 2000) and the Physical Health Inventory (Morrison, 2000). The revised Locus of Control and Attribution Style Inventory was used to measure the degree of each participant's locus of control, either internal or external, on a scale from 0 to 100. The higher the score, the more internal and the lower the score, the more external the individual. The Physical Health Inventory consisted of ten questions, all Likert scale, to determine each participant's physical health based on their perception of factors such as sleep, exercise, and diet. The possible scores for the Physical Health Inventory range from 10 to 50, the higher the score, the higher the individual's physical health and the lower the score, the lower their physical health. The participants were asked to complete one of each inventory and their scores were analyzed using a computerized statistics program.
ResultsFinding one of the study revealed there was a significant difference between the groups for locus of control. The asthma group displayed a higher locus of control compared to the non- asthma group. Finding two found that a significant difference in physical health existed between the two groups with the non- asthma group possessing better physical health than the asthma group. The third finding of the study revealed that within the asthma group, there was in fact a significantly positive relationship between locus of control and physical health. No such relationship existed between locus of control and physical health within the non- asthma group.
top Implications
The current study found a significant positive relationship between locus of control and physical health in chronically ill participants. The implications of this finding are to somehow enhance internal locus of control in chronically ill patients so they will more efficiently manage their disease and maintain optimum health. Due to the nature of chronic illness, the patient is responsible for a majority of their care. Having internal locus of control enables the patient to feel more confident in managing their disease rather than someone who is more external and relies on others for their care. One way in which chronically ill individuals could increase their internal locus of control and therefore manage their diseases more efficiently would be self- efficacy training. Self- efficacy is the confidence one has in oneself to complete a task (Lefcourt, 2000). Self efficacy training could be done individually or in groups either by medical professionals or psychologists. The training would teach patients how to be more confident in caring for themselves, teach them to readily recognize symptoms, and perform certain tasks specific to their disease. Another way to increase self efficacy or internal locus of control in the patient is to encourage them to participate in choosing their own treatment plan and to gain further knowledge about their disease by asking questions and doing their own research. The current study, along with many previous studies in the same area, all suggest the need for an increase in the internal locus of control for chronically ill individuals. These types of studies also stress the importance of further research in the area of health psychology and specifically the needs of the chronically ill population.
Relevant Links
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