COPING STRATEGIES AS MODERATORS OF NEGATIVE HEALTH IMPACTS FROM RELOCATION AT VERY OLD AGE

Abstract Relocation at very old age is a major life event that may have profound psychological impact. The loss of a home environment that has shaped important aspects of the life course can have negative health impacts, such as lower life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, loss of perceived autonomy and functional independence. However, from an ecological theory perspective, implying that patterns of health and well-being are impacted by a dynamic interplay of personal and environmental factors unfolding throughout the life course, the individual’s adaptive repertoire and resources influence how the individual manages and copes with such major life events as relocation to a new housing environment. To study if coping strategies moderated negative health impacts from relocation at very old age, we utilized longitudinal data of older community-living people from Sweden and Germany who had relocated at some point over a nine-year period (N=79, aged 80+ at baseline). A mixed model approach, adjusting for age at time of relocation, was used to analyze moderating effects of different coping strategies, defined according to Staudinger, Freund & Smith (1995). We found pro-active coping strategies such as reminding oneself of previous ability to solve problems, to significantly moderate negative effects on perceived functional independence and resilient strategies such as letting things just have their course, to significantly moderate negative effects on life satisfaction. We found no significant moderation of depressive symptoms. These results suggest that individual disposition to use different coping strategies can moderate the impact on health that relocation at very old age has.

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The NRW80+ study: conceptual background and study groups

Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie ◽

10.1007/s00391-021-01970-z ◽

2021 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Sylvia Hansen ◽

Roman Kaspar ◽

Michael Wagner ◽

Christiane Woopen ◽

Susanne Zank

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Old Age ◽

Age Groups ◽

Well Being ◽

Study Groups ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Major Life ◽

Very Old ◽

Very Old Age

Abstract Background The study “Quality of life and well-being of the very old in North Rhine-Westphalia NRW80+” aims at giving a representative picture of the quality of life (QoL) in this population. Conceptually, QoL research has rarely considered the values of older individuals themselves and societal values, and their relevance for successful life conduct. Empirically, comparisons of different age groups over the age of 80 years are rare and hampered by quickly decreasing numbers of individuals in oldest age groups in the population of very old individuals. Study design and theoretical framework This paper describes the population of the NRW80+ study and different age groups of very old individuals with respect to biographical background. Furthermore, using the challenges and potentials model of QoL in very old age (CHAPO), key aspects of QoL in late life are discussed and the importance of normative stipulations of what constitutes a successful life conduct are highlighted. In the NRW80+ study older age groups (i.e., 85–89 years, 90+ years) were deliberately overrepresented in the survey sample to enable robust cross-group comparison. Individuals willing to participate in the study but unable to participate in the interview themselves for health reasons were included by means of proxy interviews. The total sample included 1863 individuals and 176 individuals were represented by proxy interviews. Pronounced differences were observed between age groups 80–84 years (born 1933–1937, N = 1012), 85–89 years (born 1928–1932, N = 573), and 90 years or older (*born before 1927, N = 278) with respect to education, employment and the timing of major life events (e.g., childbirth). Conclusion Different life courses and resulting living conditions should be considered when discussing QoL disparities in very old age.

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