Irion J C, Blanchard-Fields F
J Gerontol. 1987 Sep;42(5):502-4. doi: 10.1093/geronj/42.5.502.
The present study is a cross-sectional comparison of coping behaviors in adulthood. Ninety-six adolescents, young adults, middle adults, and older adults were administered Lazarus' Ways of Coping questionnaire and a defensive coping scale. Patterns of coping and perceived effectiveness of coping strategies were examined in both threatening and challenging contexts. Results indicated that patterns of coping varied across age groups, with adolescents and younger adults endorsing more defensive mechanisms, such as escape-avoidance, hostile reaction, and self blame. Instrumental strategies were used more in challenging situations, whereas palliative strategies were endorsed in threatening situations across all age groups. Patterns of perceived effectiveness were similar to those for use, but correlations of use with perceived effectiveness varied between age groups. Findings supported the hypothesis that adaptive coping processes characterize later adulthood. Implications for future research in the area of development and coping are discussed.
本研究是对成年期应对行为的横断面比较。对96名青少年、青年、中年和老年人进行了拉扎勒斯应对方式问卷和防御性应对量表测试。在威胁性和挑战性情境中，研究了应对模式和应对策略的感知有效性。结果表明，应对模式因年龄组而异，青少年和青年更倾向于采用更多的防御机制，如逃避、敌对反应和自责。工具性策略在具有挑战性的情境中使用得更多，而姑息性策略在所有年龄组的威胁性情境中都得到认可。感知有效性模式与使用模式相似，但使用与感知有效性之间的相关性在不同年龄组之间有所不同。研究结果支持了这样的假设，即适应性应对过程是成年后期的特征。讨论了该研究结果对未来发展与应对领域研究的启示。
