Distinctive Late-Life Challenges: Implications for Coping and Well-Being

Two distinctive late-life challenges, community relocation and caring for an adult child with mental retardation, were studied to determine their influence on coping and well-being. These challenges differ in terms of their normativeness, duration, and whether they were expected. Data from 2 ongoing...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychology and aging 1997-06, Vol.12 (2), p.288-295
Main Authors: Kling, Kristen C, Seltzer, Marsha Mailick, Ryff, Carol D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological
Adult Offspring
Adult. Elderly
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging - psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Caregivers
Caregivers - psychology
Changes
Coping Behavior
Developmental psychology
Female
Followup Studies
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Happiness
Human
Human Females
Humans
Intellectual Development Disorder
Intellectual Disability
Life Change Events
Life Experiences
Living Arrangements
Longitudinal Studies
Middle Aged
Older people
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Relocation
Stress, Psychological
Studies
Well Being
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Summary:Two distinctive late-life challenges, community relocation and caring for an adult child with mental retardation, were studied to determine their influence on coping and well-being. These challenges differ in terms of their normativeness, duration, and whether they were expected. Data from 2 ongoing longitudinal studies ( N = 449) were used to test the hypotheses that women experiencing residential relocation would report higher well-being and use problem-focused coping more frequently than women with long-term caregiving responsibilities. As predicted, more positive changes in well-being across time were reported by the relocation sample, which also showed more problem-focused coping. Women in the caregiving sample, however, showed stronger relationships between coping and well-being, underscoring possible gains in expertise that accompany challenges of lengthy duration.
ISSN:0882-7974
1939-1498
DOI:10.1037/0882-7974.12.2.288