title: Coping strategies and adaptation for the disabled elderly in Taiwan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study explored the relationship between coping strategies and adaptation difficulties for the disabled elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected during face-to-face interviews with the physically disabled elderly in long-term care institutions and in rehabilitation departments in middle Taiwan. Totally, 505 persons were analyzed. The adaptation to disability was evaluated by health care, domestic environment, family relationships, social life and psychological distress as the dependent variables. Factor analysis and multiple regression models were applied for the analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three types of coping strategies were identified: (i) acceptance and action reduced the difficulty in adapting to disability in the health-care and social life dimensions; (ii) venting and avoidance increased the difficulty in adapting in the health-care, domestic environment and psychological distress dimensions; and (iii) seeking support was related to greater adapting to difficulty in terms of family relationships.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More effective coping strategies should be offered to the disabled elderly to help them adapt to their disability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Care Administration, College of Health Science, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan. gingerhsu@seed.net.tw
authors.forename: Hui-Chuan
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Ho-Jui
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Tung
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003710:Demography; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan