THE ROLE OF CONTROL IN THE SELECTION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF COPING STRATEGIES USED BY NURSING HOME RESIDENTS.
Contributors: University of Texas at Austin.
Published: 1989
Number of pages: 175
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Psychology, Social.
Description: The constraints of the nursing home environment are often stressful for residents. To determine the role of perceived personal control in helping residents effectively cope with this environment, a LISREL path analysis of a causal model of coping effectiveness was conducted with a total of 100 randomly selected nursing home residents among ten randomly selected nursing homes.

The relationship between perceived personal control and coping effectiveness was small ($r$ =.224) and nonsignificant. Despite significant differences between staff and resident perceptions of resident control on three measures of control (importance, choice, and latitude of choice), these discrepant perceptions had no effect on coping effectiveness.

Mental status ($r$ =.503) and functional ability ($r$ =.437) were significantly related to perceived personal control. Perceived personal control ($r$ =.503), mental status ($r$ =.445), and functional ability ($r$ =.212) were significantly related to the use of problem-focused coping. Age ($r$ =.506) and sensory-perceptual ability ($r$ =.718) were significantly related to the use of emotion-focused coping. Problem-focused and emotion-focused coping were negatively related to coping effectiveness ($r$ = $-$.310 and $r$ = $-$.364, respectively). Secondary control ($r$ =.281) and perceived health ($r$ =.458) were the only variables significantly influencing coping effectiveness.

Variables in the model accounted for 43.2% of the variance in perceived personal control and 37.1% of the variance in coping effectiveness. Findings suggest that health-related personal strengths are more important than perceived personal control in influencing coping effectiveness.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-07, Section: B, page: 2849.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, 1989.

School code: 0227.