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Adaptation to Disability Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults: The Role of Assimilative and Accommodative Coping

Arlene R. Gordon Research Institute, Lighthouse International, New York, NY.

Address correspondence to Kathrin Boerner, Lighthouse International, 111 East 59th Street, New York, NY 10022. E-mail: kboerner{at}lighthouse.org

The purpose of this study was to investigate the links among coping, disability, and mental health among adults who are confronted with age-related vision loss. Drawing on the model of assimilative and accommodative coping (e.g., Brandtstädter, 1999), hierarchical regressions were designed to examine the effects of coping and disability on mental health. Participants were 55 middle-aged and 52 older adults who had been recruited from a community-based rehabilitation agency. Findings demonstrate a critical role of accommodative coping for adaptation, with beneficial effects on mental health that were more pronounced in the case of high disability for younger participants. Finally, findings suggest that dealing with disability may pose more of a mental health risk in middle than in late adulthood.

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				K. Boerner, J. P Reinhardt, and A. Horowitz The effect of rehabilitation service use on coping patterns over time among older adults with age-related vision loss Clinical Rehabilitation, June 1, 2006; 20(6): 478 - 487. [Abstract] [PDF]