Coping with negative life events in old age: The role of tenacious goal pursuit and flexible goal adjustment

Abstract

Objective: This study examines the relationships between negative life events and tenacious goal pursuit (TGP) and flexible goal adjustment (FGA), two fundamental modes of self-regulation suggested by Brandtstädter, and their effects on mental health.

Methods: TGP/FGA, negative life events and depression were assessed in 670 elderly people living in the community. Hierarchical regressions were carried out to examine the effects of the two self-regulation modes and negative life events on depression.

Results: Findings demonstrate the role of TGP and FGA in coping with negative life events. While both FGA and TGP were related to depression, FGA was found to have beneficial effects for the participants who had encountered negative life events. With age, people become less tenacious, but no conclusive relationship was found between flexibility and age.

Discussion: Our findings support the importance of both modes of coping for the mental health of older adults. In particular, the ability to adjust goals was shown to be critical as a way of preventing the development of depressive symptoms following negative life events.

Keywords:

• tenacious goal pursuit
• flexibility goal adjustment
• negative life events
• depression
• age