1. RESILIENCE AS A MEDIATOR OF STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING, EXISTENTIAL REGRET, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH IN OLDER ADULTS
Gary T. Reker, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Measures
Abstract
Inner strength
Stressful Life Events:
Stressfulness Rating of Daily Events—11 point Ladder
Negative Consequences of Stressful Events—11 point Ladder
Rhode Island Stress Inventory—7 item, 5 point general stress measure
Resilience:
Multidimensional Resilience Inventory (Peglar, 2007)—7 point Likert scale of Inner Strength, Remaining Well, Taking Charge, Keeping an Open Mind, Adaptability
Existential Regret:
Multidimensional Existential Regret Inventory (White & Reker, 2007)—7 point Likert scale of Inner Struggle, Limited Life, Neglecting Others, Self-Deprecation, Undoing the Past
Subjective Well-Being:
Zung Depression Scale, Life Satisfaction Index
Physical Health:
OARS 26-item checklist of physical health symptoms
.81*
Remaining well
One hundred and forty-six older adults (54+ years) completed measures of stressful life events, resilience, life satisfaction, depression, existential regret, and physical health. Using the latent construct approach and structural equation modeling, it was found that resilience mediated the relationship between life stress, emotional (depression, life satisfaction) and existential well-being (existential regret), and physical health. Model fit in all instances was good with CFIs exceeding the cut-off point of A causal interpretation from stressful life events to resilience to well-being outcomes was strengthened by the finding that reverse causal mediation effects were not significant for emotional and existential well-being (but not for physical health). The data also identified freedom from “inner struggle” with missed opportunities, a component measure of existential regret, as an important dimension of resilience. The results support previous findings with the construct of resilience and underscore the need to include existential variables in the conceptualization and assessment of resilience in older adults.
.57*
.60*
Resilience
Taking Charge
.80*
.73*
Keep open mind
Adaptability
-.30*
.78*
Mediation z = -2.72, p < .05
Stress rating
.73*
.90*
Depression
-.11*
.80*
Stressful Life
Events
Subjective
Well-being
Negative stress
.67*
.40*
(-.34*)
Life satisfaction
General stress
Model Fit: Chi-square = 41.02, df = 31, Chi-sq/df ratio = 1.32, CFI = .98, RMSEA = .05
Figure 3: Resilience as a mediator of stressful life events and subjective well-being
Introduction
Results
Discussion
Resilience has been identified as an important personal resource in confronting the challenges brought on by life’s changing circumstances. Resilience is defined as an individual’s level of ability to cope, adapt, and grow when faced with adversity. It is comprised of four dimensions: psychological (disposition), behavioural (coping), attitudinal (motivation), and physical (Peglar, 2007). Several studies have examined resilience as a dispositional trait or a coping resource but the attitudinal (viewing stressors as an opportunity for challenge and growth) and physical (bouncing back from illness or disability) components have not received much attention in the gerontological literature. The latter two components are of particular importance in the assessment of resilience in older adults who face a greater variety of challenges on a daily basis.
Inner strength
.77*
The findings clearly show that the psychological, behavioural, attitudinal, and physical components of resilience mediate the relationship between stressful life events and measures of emotional, existential, and physical well-being in older adults. Full mediation, however, was only demonstrated for physical well-being. A causal interpretation of the mediating effects from life stress to resilience to well-being outcomes was strengthened by the finding that reverse causal mediation was not significant for emotional and existential well-being. However, reverse causal mediation was significant for life stress and physical health, suggesting that poor physical health may be a source as well as an outcome of life stress.
Of particular interest was the finding that the relative absence of an “inner struggle” with missed opportunities from the past, a component of existential regret, was a significant indicator of the resilience construct. This suggests that resilience needs to be conceptualized and measured more broadly to include existential variables such as meaning in life, spirituality, and coming to terms with one’s past. A strength-based model of resilience that includes these components has been proposed and is currently being developed and tested in a sample of older adults.
.56*
Remaining well
.63*
Taking charge
Resilience
.80*
.70*
Keep open mind
Adaptability
(-.49*)
-.30*
-.63*
Purpose
(.50*)
Inner struggle
.82*
The purpose of this study was to assess the mediating role of resilience in the relation between stressful life events and outcomes measures of emotional well-being (depression, life satisfaction), existential regret, and physical health in older adults.
Mediation z = 2.68, p < .05
Limited life
Stress rating
.81*
.74*
.10*
Existential
Regret
.74*
.80*
Stressful Life
Events
Neglecting others
Negative stress
.86*
.42*
(.29*)
.79*
Self-deprecation
General stress
Initial Model Fit: Chi-square = , df = 61, Chi-sq/df ratio = 2.45, CFI = .90, RMSEA = .10
Undoing the past
(Modified Model Fit: Chi-square = , df = 60, Chi-sq/df ratio = 1.74, CFI = .95, RMSEA = .07)
Method
Figure 1: Resilience as a mediator of stressful life events and existential regret
Conclusion
Participants
A resilient older adult draws on inner strength, takes charge, keeps an open mind, is
adaptable, and engages in healthy lifestyle behaviours. When faced with stressful life
events, these characteristics operate to minimize the impact of stress on psychological and
health-related outcomes. Thus, resilience, broadly conceptualized, functions as an important personal resource for older adults as they cope with the many challenges that accompany the later years.
Inner strength
sample of 146 (55% female) older adults (mean age = 66.4 years, range years)
68% were married; 19% widowed; 12% divorced/separated; 2% never married
78% reported being satisfied or extremely satisfied with their financial situation
53% high school; 16% community college; 19% university; 12% post-graduate
87% needed no assistance with everyday activities; 11% some; 2% most or all of the time
66% lived with a spouse; 18% lived alone; 16% lived with family
.81*
Remaining well
.55*
.59*
Taking charge
Resilience
.80*
Keep open mind
.72*
Adaptability
-.30*
.41*
References
Procedure
Stress rating
Mediation z = 2.42 p < .05
.75*
Peglar, D. J. (2007). Assessment of resilience in older adults: Development and validation of the Multidimensional Resilience Inventory (MRI). Honours Thesis, Department of Psychology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON.
Reker, G. T. (1992). Manual of the Life Attitude Profile-Revised (LAP-R). Peterborough, ON: Student Psychologists Press.
White, S. E., & Reker, G. T. (2007). The Multidimensional Existential Regret Inventory (MERI).
Peterborough, ON: Student Psychologists Press.
-.06
Negative stress
.79*
Stressful Life
Events
Physical Health
Volunteer participants were recruited from the central Ontario region through word of mouth, personal contacts, and advertisement in local malls and community centers. Participants completed a large number of scales and subscales for a larger project for which they received the opportunity to win a draw prize of $200 at the end of the study.
.41*
(-.18*)
General stress
Model Fit: Chi-square = 42.90, df = 24, Chi-sq/df ratio =1.79, CFI = .95, RMSEA = .07
Figure 2: Resilience as mediator of stressful life events and physical health