Abstract

MAYORDOMO RODRIGUEZ, Teresa; SALES GALAN, Alicia; SATORRES PONS, Encarnación  and  BLASCO IGUAL, Clara. Coping strategies in older adults as a function of sociodemographic variables. Escritos de Psicología [online]. 2015, vol.8, n.3, pp.26-32. ISSN 1989-3809.  https://dx.doi.org/10.5231/psy.writ.2015.2904.

Coping strategies are used to adapt to the changes that occur during aging. This study investigated 275 older adults who attended a senior citizen's centre. They provided sociodemographic data and answered the Stress Coping Questionnaire (SCQ) in a semistructured interview. The aim was to analyse the use of coping strategies based in several sociodemographic variables, using correlations, t tests, and ANOVAs. The results showed a positive and significant association between age and religion, and differences were found in gender, marital status, educational attainment, and income level. In conclusion, as age increases, religion is most commonly used coping strategy; women make greater use of avoidance, seek social support, and use religion; singles mainly seek social support and positive reappraisal; widowers make greater use of religion; people with a lower level of education use more negative self-targeting and avoidance; people with higher incomes mainly use strategies centred on solving problems; and those with low incomes make greater use of religion.

Keywords : Older Adults; Adaptation; Coping Strategies; Sociodemographic Variables.

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