title: Resilience and coping as predictors of general well-being in the elderly: a structural equation modeling approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aims of this article are: (a) to test for the validity of the three constructs involved in the structural model; (b) to test for the effects of both coping strategies and resilient coping on well-being in a sample of elderly, by means of a structural model with latent variables; (c) to empirically study whether a brief scale of resilient coping could predict well-being over and above that predicted by the coping resources.
  
  
  METHODS
  The research is a survey design. The sample consisted of 225 non-institutionalized elderly people living in the city of Valencia (Spain). The three constructs measured were: well-being, resilient coping, and coping strategies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analyses consist of a series of alternative structural models with latent variables with resilience, problem-focused coping, and emotion-focused coping as the potential predictors of well-being as measured by Ryff's well-being scales. Due to parsimony reasons, the model retained is that with a single predictor of well-being: resilient coping.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A latent variable measuring resilient coping is able to predict a significant and large part of the variance in well-being, without the need of including coping strategies. Results impact on well-being literature of the elderly is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Methodology for the Behavioural Sciences, University of Valencia, Spain. tomasjm@uv.es
authors.forename: José Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Tomás
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sancho
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Melendez
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mayordomo
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003625:Data Collection; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011340:Problem Solving; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D013030:Spain