The relationship of hardiness and depression to disability in institutionalized older adults

Studies of depression among residents of long term care facilities are a familiar component of the research literature, but the concept of 'hardiness' is less familiar on this side of the Atlantic. Studies have suggested that health-related hardiness predicted the degree of disability experienced by older people subjected to similar levels of stress. In this study, a lecturer at Yale University explored the relationship of hardiness and depression to disability in a sample of 58 older people who were residents in a nursing home. The results indicated that the psychological variables of hardiness and depression contributed more than did health status and length of stay to explaining levels of disability. The author concludes by suggesting therapeutic approaches which may be beneficial. 56 references.