[Stress and stress management in home relocation of the elderly]

This report includes the theoretical approach and some empirical findings of a study in which the relocation of elderly persons to old-age institutions is interpreted from the perspective of environmental psychology and life-event research. It is hypothesized that the psychological effects of relocation are a result of the confrontation with stressful environmental features of the institution, the subjective appraisal of the situation, and the coping strategies of the individual. 13 different coping strategies of the elderly residents were differentiated by content analysis of interviews. Bivariate relations were analyzed between coping strategies and the following variables: stressful institutional environment, perceived stress, beliefs about personal control, and depression. From the psychological point of view, especially those findings seem to be important that show coping strategies implying a renunciation of personal control correlates with greater perceived stress. In institutions with greater autonomy, residents show more problem-focused coping behavior in stress situations, whereas in institutions with reduced autonomy residents seem to prefer cognitive coping strategies.