Resilience and coping as predictors of general well-being in the elderly: a structural equation modeling approach

The aims of this article are: (a) to test for the validity of the three constructs involved in the structural model; (b) to test for the effects of both coping strategies and resilient coping on well-being in a sample of elderly, by means of a structural model with latent variables; (c) to empirically study whether a brief scale of resilient coping could predict well-being over and above that predicted by the coping resources.

The research is a survey design. The sample consisted of 225 non-institutionalized elderly people living in the city of Valencia (Spain). The three constructs measured were: well-being, resilient coping, and coping strategies.

The analyses consist of a series of alternative structural models with latent variables with resilience, problem-focused coping, and emotion-focused coping as the potential predictors of well-being as measured by Ryff's well-being scales. Due to parsimony reasons, the model retained is that with a single predictor of well-being: resilient coping.

A latent variable measuring resilient coping is able to predict a significant and large part of the variance in well-being, without the need of including coping strategies. Results impact on well-being literature of the elderly is discussed.