title: Coping and life satisfaction in elderly women with osteoarthritis.
abstract: The relationships among illness-related stress and emotions, coping strategies, socio-economic status and life satisfaction of 90 elderly women with osteoarthritis were explored in this descriptive, correlational study. Results of self-report interview data indicated that the women experienced both positive and negative emotions in relation to their day-to-day life with osteoarthritis. The coping behaviours used to manage the perceived stress of osteoarthritis included confrontive, palliative and emotive strategies. Path analysis supported a significant and positive relationship between coping and life satisfaction and between objective and subjective measures of life satisfaction.
authors.affiliation: Dalhousie University, School of Nursing, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Downe-Wamboldt
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000523:psychology*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological