THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG COPING, HARDINESS AND OUTCOMES OF MULTIPLE CHRONIC ILLNESSES IN THE ELDERLY (ILLNESS OUTCOMES).
Contributors: University of Pennsylvania.
Published: 1990
Number of pages: 157
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Gerontology.
Description: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among coping, hardiness and outcomes of multiple chronic illnesses in the elderly. Lazarus' cognitive theory of stress and coping within Moos & Schaefer's model for understanding the crisis of physical illness was used as a conceptual framework for this descriptive study.

The sample was composed of 100 volunteer patients 60 years and older. Patients who were receiving skilled nursing services at home or in hospital based skilled nursing facilities which function as transitional care facilities, were interviewed with questionnaires that operationalized the variables of interest. Interviews were conducted at least seven days after admission to a hospital based SNF from an acute care facility or seven days after discharge to home.

T-tests done on the predictor variables (coping, hardiness and illness outcomes) showed no differences between the home-based and hospital-based samples. As a result, these two samples were grouped together in the analyses.

Hardiness was measured with the Health Related Hardiness Scale (HRHS). Coping was measured with the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WOC). Illness outcomes were measured with the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS). Additional questionnaires included a form developed to collect information on demographic and health variables (i.e. duration, type and number of diagnoses), tool to assess mental state (the Mini-Mental State-MMS) and a tool to assess physical status (Katz Index of ADL).

Findings indicated that the total HRHS score and escape-avoidance (one type of coping) predicted 31% of the variance in illness outcomes for the overall sample. Neither gender, ethnic background, number or duration of illnesses were related to illness outcomes. However, physical status explained a small amount of additional variance in illness outcomes for the overall and hospital-based samples. Mental status explained an additional 5% of the variance in illness outcomes for the home-based sample. Problems with instrument items for this sample are discussed as a limitation of this study.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-01, Section: B, page: 0166.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 1990.

School code: 0175.