title: Distinctive late-life challenges: implications for coping and well-being.
abstract: Two distinctive late-life challenges, community relocation and caring for an adult child with mental retardation, were studied to determine their influence on coping and well-being. These challenges differ in terms of their normativeness, duration, and whether they were expected. Data from 2 ongoing longitudinal studies (N = 449) were used to test the hypotheses that women experiencing residential relocation would report higher well-being and use problem-focused coping more frequently than women with long-term caregiving responsibilities. As predicted, more positive changes in well-being across time were reported by the relocation sample, which also showed more problem-focused coping. Women in the caregiving sample, however, showed stronger relationships between coping and well-being, underscoring possible gains in expertise that accompany challenges of lengthy duration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Kling
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Seltzer
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Ryff
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability; D008016:Life Change Events; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D013315:Stress, Psychological