Aldwin C M
Human Development and Family Studies, University of California, Davis.
J Gerontol. 1991 Jul;46(4):P174-80. doi: 10.1093/geronj/46.4.p174.
The perceived controllability of situations is thought to influence the types of coping strategies used, and thus is important in adaptive processes. Elderly individuals are widely perceived to have less control over their environment than other adults. This lack of perceived control should have adverse affects on how they cope with stressful situations. However, most studies have shown that older adults differ little from younger adults in their approaches to coping with stress. This contradiction was investigated in a sample of 228 community-residing adults with a mean age of 42.16 (SD = 14.88). Path analysis revealed that appraisals and attributions do affect the use of coping strategies such as instrumental action and escapism in the expected directions, and age is negatively associated with perceived control. However, there was an independent and negative relationship between age and the reported use of escapist coping strategies, which mitigated the adverse effects of perceived lack of control. Neither age nor perceived controllability had direct effects on depression, but they had indirect effects through their influence on the use of coping strategies and perceived efficacy.
人们认为，对情境的可感知可控性会影响所采用的应对策略类型，因此在适应过程中很重要。普遍认为，老年人比其他成年人对其环境的控制更少。这种可感知控制的缺乏应该会对他们应对压力情境的方式产生不利影响。然而，大多数研究表明，老年人在应对压力的方式上与年轻人差异不大。在一个由228名平均年龄为42.16岁（标准差=14.88）的社区居民成年人组成的样本中，对这一矛盾进行了调查。路径分析表明，评估和归因确实会按照预期方向影响工具性行动和逃避主义等应对策略的使用，并且年龄与可感知控制呈负相关。然而，年龄与报告的逃避主义应对策略的使用之间存在独立的负相关关系，这减轻了可感知缺乏控制的不利影响。年龄和可感知可控性对抑郁均无直接影响，但它们通过对应对策略的使用和可感知效能的影响而产生间接影响。
