Age and Gender Differences in Coping Among Older Adults: A Study of Coping Intensity and Diversity
Year: 2026
Type: dissertation
Abstract: As individuals age, maintaining health involves managing a range of stressful life events and daily hassles, making coping a key psychological function in older adulthood. A cross-sectional design was employed within the ongoing longitudinal cohort study Good Aging in Skåne (GÅS) to examine age and gender differences in coping among older adults. The study sample (N = 2722) consisted of randomly selected older adults from the national population register, divided into three age groups (60-69, 70-79, and 80+). Both specific coping strategies and higher-order coping domains (approach, avoidance, and social support) were examined in terms of coping intensity (degree of use) and coping diversity (number of strategies used). Data were collected using the Brief COPE questionnaire from two separate follow-ups. Two confirmatory factor analyses within a structural equation modelling framework were conducted prior to the main analyses to evaluate the factor structure of the Brief COPE, followed by two MANOVAs and descriptive analyses. The findings suggested relatively consistent age- and gender-related patterns across both coping intensity and coping diversity. Younger-old adults generally reported higher coping intensity and coping diversity than older-old adults, particularly within approach and social support coping, whereas avoidance coping remained relatively stable across age groups. Women reported higher coping intensity and diversity than men across all coping domains and most specific strategies. Overall, these findings contribute to a better understanding of coping patterns among older adults.
Author: Johnsson, Thea
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7165433388