Typology of people in middle and late adulthood based on the profile of coping with everyday life events

Introduction. The purpose of this study was to construct a typology of the proactive coping profiles of individuals in middle and late adulthood. The conceptual layer refers to the theory of proactive coping as defined by Ralf Schwarzer and Steffen Taubert. It means such an approach to everyday life in which problems are treated as a challenge rather than as a great unknown that limits to only reactive responses to emerging difficulties. An attempt was also made to compare the obtained subtypes in terms of wisdom and resilience. According to Ardelt's research, wisdom, understood as a composite of cognitive, reflective, and emotional components, may be a resource characterizing adults who use mature coping strategies, particularly proactive coping. Building resilience in people helps to prevent stress, hence it can be considered as a resource important in proactive coping. Method. A group of 166 people in middle (N=80) and late adulthood (N=86) was surveyed. The Proactive Coping Inventory (Polish Adaptation) by Sęk, Pasikowski, Taubert, Greenglass and Schwarzer, Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale (3D-WS) by Ardelt, adapted by Steuden, Brudek and Izdebski and Resilience Measurement Scale (SPP-25) by Oginska-Bulik and Juczynski were used in the study. Results. Four coping types were obtained: runaway, proactive, autonomous and support-seekers. Individuals belonging to particular profiles of coping differed significantly in the level of wisdom and resilience. Conclusions.The study showed that in a group of people in middle and late adulthood it is possible to distinguish consistent profiles of using coping strategies, which differ in the degree of proactivity. Additionally, wisdom and resilience were shown to characterize individuals with a more proactive, goal-oriented structure of coping strategies.

Estimating the Efficiency of the “Proactive Behavior Training” in the Formation of the Doctor’s Adherence to Preventive Work

Today the public health service faces numerous pressing challenges, including not only treatment, but also prevention of diseases. A theoretical analysis of materials on this topic shows that insufficient adherence of doctors to preventive work can be associated not only with a high level of their professional burnout, but also with their usual reactive coping strategies, which is caused by the traditional conservatism of the medical community. Previous studies have shown that the solution to the described problem may lie in the formation of a system of proactive coping behaviors and reduction of professional burnout among doctors. The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficiency of the Proactive Behavior Training developed by V.Yu. Slabinsky and N.M. Voishcheva in the formation of a doctors adherence to preventive work. The sample consisted of 125 people (112 women, 13 men). Their age range was from 24 to 68 years. The work experience ranged from less than 1 year to 45 years. The experimental group and the control group consisted of 64 and 61 people respectively. The research was conducted using the following techniques: Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI); Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI); Proactive Coping Inventory (PCI); BAK conflict; projective test My job; and case method (unstructured cases). The statistical analysis was carried out using the Wilcoxon test for compare the test results before and after the training, and the Fisher criterion (*-criterion) for check statistically significant differences in the frequency of occurrence of the selected criteria. The results of the case method were processed by content analysis. It was revealed that, in primary care physicians (PCPs), the Proactive Behavior Training develops a system of proactive coping strategies (proactive overcoming, reflexive overcoming, preventive overcoming, seeking instrumental support and seeking emotional support); it reduces the level of professional burnout (increasing professional success and reducing emotional exhaustion) and potentiates the positive past time perspective. A positive influence on the emotional and imaginative perception of physicians of their professional activities was found, which is confirmed by the results of the projective test My job. It was noted that the participants in the training developed such traits as diligence, optimism and tenderness, which contributes to the manifestation of a more humane attitude towards their patients, and, as a consequence, a greater efficiency in their preventive activities. These results, as well as the content analysis data for the texts of the tasks completed by the doctors and reviews obtained from the heads of the medical organizations, the employees of which participated in the training, confirm the efficiency of the Proactive Behavior Training in developing the PCPs adherence to preventive work.

Proactive Coping in Youth and Old Age as an Indicator of Identity Formation in an Anormative Context

Objective: This paper provides a comprehensive investigation of coping with distress, with a focus on the proactive approach, which is of particular significance for individuals who manage identity transitions periods. Researchers discuss findings from two independent projects analyzing individual variation in strategies for coping with difficult situations at the extremes of life: adolescence and old age. Both studies were conducted between 2014 and 2016. Proactivity preferences were analyzed in a sample of 332 adolescents. Similarly, results collected among 1552 seniors were analyzed. The tools used in the analysis were the Proactive Coping Inventory for Adolescents (PCI-A) and the Proactive Coping Inventory for Adults (PCI). Results: Our findings show that the strategies preferred by the adolescent group included: proactive coping, looking for emotional support and preventive coping. Whereas the results for the elderly group showed their preference for looking for emotional support, reflective and preventive coping. Nevertheless the proactive coping strategy was chosen by adolescents as well as the elderly. The analysis performed demonstrated no significant difference in the reflective coping strategy for the compared age groups. Conclusions: The findings can be explained by theoretical accounts that question the classical developmental models with normative life trajectories and develop more person-oriented idiographic approach with decollectivisation of the life course thesis (Loos, 2012) becoming increasingly evident. Key words: proactiveness, adolescence, ageing, transition, identity, medical practise, education

Health and Well-Being

The goal of this chapter is to show how a sense of meaning in life acts in concert with the dimensions of religion that have been discussed so far to affect health. The discussion that follows is divided into two sections. The extensive body of research that links meaning with health and well-being is examined first. Following this, three submodels are introduced that provide further insight into how meaning in life might affect health. The first submodel brings gratitude and prayer to the foreground. The second submodel focuses on the relationships among meaning in life, proactive coping responses, and health behavior. The third submodel brings issues involving the interface between meaning in life, negative aspects of religious life (e.g., religious doubt), and health-related outcomes.

Reactive and Proactive Coping Behaviors in Russian First-Year Students: Diagnostics and Development Opportunities

The relevance of the study is determined by the role of the adaptation processes of first-year students to the university environment, which is the most important (preliminary) stage for: (a) their successful overcoming of various learning difficulties; (b) comfortable and constructive interaction with teachers and other students; and (c) search and application of adaptive behavior strategies due to new living conditions. The development of proactive coping is a key factor in the students efficient learning activity because it represents a platform for their personal growth. The aim of the study is to determine the possibilities of diagnostics and development of reactive and proactive coping behavior in first-year students. The study involved 272 first-year students at Pacific National University (including 136 students of an experimental group who sought help from the University Psychology Center in 2019 and 136 first-year volunteer students as a control group). The following methods were used for diagnostics: Proactive Coping Inventory (PCI) , adapted by E.P. Belinskaya et al., Ways of Coping Questionnaire by R. Lazarus, adapted by T.L. Kryukova et al., Hardiness Survey by Salvatore Maddi adapted by D.A. Leontyev and E.I. Rasskazova, Time Perspective Inventory (TPI) by Ph.Ge. Zimbardo, adapted by A. Syrtsova et al. and Reflexivity Diagnostics Method by A.V. Karpov. As a result, the first-year students showed low levels of developed reactive and proactive coping, high levels of social and emotional support as well as escape-avoidance, average levels of strategic planning and search for informational support, and a reduced level of reflective, predictive resource. It is shown that the search for social, emotional and informational support is the basis for constructing adaptive behavior strategies. It is confirmed that self-control and the category of the future are moderating for all types of proactive coping. The conducted cluster analysis made it possible to identify three profiles, which differ in the levels and content of reactive and proactive behavior (non-adaptive, reactive and active with a tendency to proactive). Repeated measurements show that individual and group forms of psychological intervention cause changes in the indicators of reactive-proactive coping behavior, which can be regarded as a positive dynamics in the development of behavior in students of the experimental group. Finally, a conclusion was formulated about the possibilities of using various forms of psychological support (individual counseling, trainings, and self-help groups) in optimizing the first-year students proactive coping behavior.

Proactive Coping and Mindfulness are Associated with Less Stress in Older Adults

We examined the consequences of both chronic and life-event stressors for older adults, as well as antecedent strategies, such as proactive coping and mindfulness, that may mitigate stress. Given the potential negative outcomes associated with stress in older adulthood, exploring strategies to reduce or mitigate the negative impact of stress may be useful in promoting well-being in adulthood. Proactive coping involves an accumulation of resources that leads to reduced or avoided stressors in the future (Aspinwall & Taylor, 1997). Mindfulness calls an individual’s attention to the present moment, or may be characterized as an open, accepting attitude (Brown & Ryan, 2003). Using data from the Mindfulness and Anticipatory Coping Everyday study (English et al., 2019; Neupert & Bellingtier, 2017), 296 older adults in the United States, aged 60-90 years (M = 64.67, SD = 4.36), participated in relevant online survey measures. Results from multiple regression analyses suggested that people high in both chronic stress and life event stress had worse health, and that people high in proactive coping and mindfulness reported less stress. Study results underscore the impact of stress on health outcomes, and provide support for the use of antecedent strategies to address negative impacts of stress.

Hope, active coping and well-being in stroke-survivors and caregivers: An actor–partner model analysis

Purpose Stroke is a medical condition cause of suffering for both patients and their caregivers within the family. This paper aimed to assess the influence of the psychological construct of hope and active coping on hedonic wellbeing in patient with stroke and caregiver dyads by determining the dyadic patterns. Methods A baseline study including 200 stroke-survivor (Age 73.63; SD=7.22) and caregiver (62.49; SD=14.44) dyads with actor–partner interdependence model (APIM) estimated by structural equation modelling with maximum likelihood estimation. Herth Hope Index (HHI), Proactive Coping Inventory (PCI) and Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) were used to measure hope, proactive coping and wellbeing, respectively. Results The APIM analysis revealed that both stroke patients and caregivers demonstrated double actor-only pattern. As such, stroke-survivors’ hope and active coping excreted an actor effect on their own wellbeing with beta = 0.48 (p < 0.01) and 0.16 (p < 0.01), respectively. Similarly, the caregiver also reported an actor effect between hope and wellbeing (beta = 0.84, p < 0.01) as well as active coping with wellbeing (beta = 0.37, p < 0.01). The overall SEM model also fulfilled the criteria for good model fit (χ2 (5.87), p = > 0.05, CFI = 0.98, TLI = 0.96 and RMSEA = 0.07). Conclusions The results suggest that both stroke patients and caregivers’ hedonic wellbeing are holding actor-oriented pattern with the hope and active coping. The implications for clinical practitioners, research and theoretical development are discussed.

Teachers’ Personality, Perfectionism, and Self-Efficacy as Predictors for Coping Strategies Based on Personal Resources

Many psychological constructs as personality, perfectionism, and self-efficacy have been identified to have a strong contribution to teachers’ coping strategies, but how these variables collectively predict different types of coping has received little attention. The present study aimed to explore the personal resources (personality traits, perfectionistic strivings, and self-efficacy) which predict teachers’ proactive coping strategies. The sample study consisted of 284 pre-service teachers, with ages ranging from 18 to 34years old (M=19.9; SD=2.1). Four hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted separately for every proactive coping strategy based on personal resources as criterion variables. Results showed that conscientiousness and openness were predictors for all four coping strategies based on personal resources (proactive, reflective, strategic planning, and preventive coping), extraversion and neuroticism predicted only proactive coping strategies, and agreeableness did not predict any kind of these coping strategies. Planfulness was a predictor for reflective, strategic planning, and preventive coping strategies; striving for excellence predicted only proactive coping, and organization was a predictor only for reflective coping strategies. Self-efficacy predicted the first three proactive coping strategies but preventive coping. Because coping strategies can be learned, knowing what personal resources may help teachers to cope with stressful situations inside and outside the school, could be organized training programs to improve activity and well-being in the teaching profession.