Relocation to a nursing home is a potentially stressful experience. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to determine if person factors (mastery, decisional control, and functional dependence), situation factors (perceived availability of support and enacted support), cognitive appraisal, and coping during week 1 post-relocation predict health outcomes (self-assessed health, anxiety, and depressive symptoms) at weeks 4 and 8 post-relocation in older adults relocating to the nursing home. Lazarus and Folkman's stress-appraisal-coping framework guided the study. Data were collected at three time points, using face-to-face interviews. A convenience sample of 127 older adults was recruited. Seventy participants completed a second interview and fifty-four participants completed all three interviews. Multiple regression analyses were used for hypothesis testing. Mastery, emotional support, and integration support at Time 1 were significant predictors of the appraisal dimensions at Time 2. None of the selected Time 1 person factors, situation factors, and appraisal dimensions significantly predicted the health outcomes at Time 2. Mastery, decisional control, and integration support at Time 2 were significant predictors of selected appraisal dimensions at Time 2. Benign appraisal at Time 2 was the only significant predictor for depressive symptoms at Time 3. Although none of the Time 1 variables was significantly predictive of self-assessed health at Time 3, emotional support at Time 1 significantly predicted state anxiety at Time 3 and benign appraisal at Time 1 significantly predicted depressive symptoms at Time 3. Participants used a variety of coping strategies with emotion-focused coping used more frequently than problem-focused coping. Significant findings from this study emphasized the importance of mastery, social support, and cognitive appraisal of the older adult relocating to the nursing home.
Session #1219 - Poster Session I
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)