Stressful situations and coping strategies in relation to age

MARÍA CRISTINA RICHAUD; CARLA SACCHI

PSYCHOLOGICAL REPORTS

Douglas Ammons, S. A. Isbell

Lugar: Missoula- Montana; Año: 2005 vol. 97 p. 405 - 418

0033-2941

The main objective of this paper is to study if people cope differently with negative events at different ages. We shall use the Spanish version of the Ways of Coping Checklist (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984, 1986). Then, our first objective is to determine whether the factor structure of the Ways of Coping Checklist in an Argentine sample is similar to those reported in the literature. Once the functioning of the Ways of Coping Checklist has been studied, other specific objectives are to explore: whether the types of situations perceived as potentially stressful are connected with age, if the types of coping strategies used to reduce potential stressors are related to the age of the person, and if the kind of coping strategies used to reduce the potential stressors are related to the type of stressor. The Spanish version of The Ways of Coping Checklist was administered to 153 residents of Buenos Aires, further divided into two groups --aged 20 to 24 and aged 40 to 45. We found that factor analysis of Ways of Coping Checklist scores for the Argentinean sample showed five underlying factors: Cognitive redefinition, Problem focus, Seeking social support, Wishful thinking, and Avoidance. Results also indicated that there exists a significant connection between the type of situation that is perceived as potentially stressful and age. The middle age group showed a way of coping aimed at solving the problem, while there seemed to be a tendency among the young group to try to elude problems. It appears that the type of stressor influences type of coping. Key words: stressful situation, coping, strategies, age