Centre for Policy on Ageing



Determinants of adaptive behavior among older persons — self-efficacy, importance and personal dispositions as directive mechanisms
Author(s)	Yvonne A W Slangen-de Kort, Cees J H Midden, Henk Aarts
Journal title	International Journal of Aging and Human Development, vol 53, no 4, 2001
Pages	pp 253-274
Keywords	Competence ; Adjustment ; Well being ; Living in the community ; Netherlands.
Annotation	Successful ageing calls for effective adaptation, which in turn implies flexible use of coping strategies to optimize personal functioning and well-being. The present paper studies adaptive choice behaviour of older, independently living people in the south of the Netherlands faced with complications in the home environment. The aim was to gain insight into the coping process and its outcome - in terms of the choice of assimilative vs accommodative strategies - and in the role of three determinants on this process: perceived self-efficacy, importance of the problem, and personal dispositions (flexibility and tenacity). A sample of 199 older adults participated in an experiment based on a scenario and questionnaire method, with problems stemming from the domain of independent living. Results mainly underlie the crucial role of perceived self-efficacy and are discussed in view of the concept of successful ageing. (KJ/RH).
Accession Number	CPA-020313201 A
Classmark	DPB: DR: D:F:5HH: K4: 76H
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.