Assimilative and accommodative coping in older adults with and without sensory impairment

• Verfasst von: Wettstein, Markus [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Wahl, Hans-Werner [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Heyl, Vera [VerfasserIn]
• Titel: Assimilative and accommodative coping in older adults with and without sensory impairment
• Titelzusatz: four-year change and prospective relations with affective well-being
• Verf.angabe: Markus Wettstein, Hans-Werner Wahl and Vera Heyl
• Jahr: 2019
• Jahr des Originals: 2018
• Umfang: 8 S.
• Fussnoten: Gesehen am 10.01.2020 ; Published online: 08 Nov 2018
• Titel Quelle: Enthalten in: Aging & mental health
• Ort Quelle: London [u.a.] : Taylor & Francis Group, 1997
• Jahr Quelle: 2019
• Band/Heft Quelle: 23(2019), 9, Seite 1255-1262
• ISSN Quelle: 1364-6915
• DOI: doi:10.1080/13607863.2018.1479833
• Datenträger: Online-Ressource
• Sprache: eng
• K10plus-PPN: 1686994605

Abstract

Objectives: Sensory impaired older adults may be particularly dependent on coping strategies such as assimilation (or tenacious goal pursuit [TGP]) and accommodation (or flexible goal adjustment [FGA]) to secure high levels of well-being. We investigated if late-life changes in these coping strategies and prospective associations of TGP and FGA with affective well-being vary according to sensory impairment status. - Method: Our study sample consisted of 387 adults aged 72-95 years (M ¼ 82.50 years, SD ¼4.71 years) who were either visually impaired (VI; n ¼ 121), hearing impaired (HI; n ¼ 116), or sensory unimpaired (UI; n ¼ 150). One hundred sixty-eight individuals were reassessed after approximately 4 years. - Results: Both VI and HI revealed a decrease in TGP, whereas TGP remained stable in UI. For FGA, a significant increase in HI was observed, whereas a significant decline emerged in UI. Controlling for age, gender, and cognitive abilities, higher TGP at baseline was significantly associated with higher negative affect 4 years later in VI. Moreover, the positive association between baseline FGA and subsequent positive affect was stronger in HI than in UI older adults. - Conclusion: Our findings suggest that older adults with sensory impairments reveal trajectories of assimilative and accommodative coping and associations of TGP and FGA with affective well-being that are different from sensory unimpaired individuals.