Vision Loss, Coping Tendencies, and Mental Health

这项拟议研究的长期目标是更好地了解面临慢性视力障碍的中老年人中视力障碍严重程度、功能性残疾、应对倾向和心理健康之间的关系。与年龄相关的视力丧失是老年人中第二普遍的残疾。它对功能能力和与他人互动的主要影响已被证明会使个人面临抑郁的风险，对视力丧失的感知适应能力更差，这项工作对理解不适应的应对模式做出的贡献更大，而不是学习什么可能是适应的。然而，最佳干预措施既取决于了解什么是适应性的，也取决于了解增加心理健康不良风险的因素。此外，以前的研究没有包括发展视角，仅限于对老年人的研究。这项拟议的研究试图通过比较中老年人和老年人来填补这一空白，并利用一个包含发展组成部分的理论框架，并指定缓解抑郁并使人在面临重大衰退时保持弹性的应对模式：同化和适应应对模式。从这项研究中获得的见解将指导后续的研究，这些研究将有助于确定哪些人有精神健康问题的风险，并优化干预措施，帮助个人适应视力障碍以及其他残疾。具体目标是：1.探索视力障碍严重程度、功能障碍和心理健康结果之间的相互关系，并检查这些关系是否随年龄而变化。2.探讨同化和适应应对方式在视力损害严重程度、功能障碍和心理健康之间的关系中的作用；3.通过比较中老年人和中老年人，探讨同化和适应应对方式在视力发生的不同生命周期阶段中的作用是否不同。50名中年人和50名老年人将从社区康复机构招募。将进行回归分析，以测试自变量对心理健康结果的影响。

The long-term goal of the proposed research is to better understand the relationships between vision impairment severity, functional disability, coping tendencies, and mental-health among middle-aged and older adults who are confronted with a chronic vision impairment. Age-related vision loss is the second most prevalent disability among older adults. Its major impact on functional ability and interaction with others has been shown to put individuals at risk for depression and poorer perceived adaptation to vision loss, this work has contributed more to the understanding of coping patterns that are maladaptive than to learning what may be adaptive. However, optimal interventions depend as much on knowing what is adaptive as on understanding the factors that increase risk for poor mental health. Furthermore, prior research has not included a developmental perspective, and has been limited to the study of older adults. The proposed study seeks to fill this gap by comparing middle age and older adults, and by utilizing a theoretical framework that incorporates a developmental component, and specifies modes of coping that mitigate depression and enable a person to stay resilient in the face of major decline: the model of assimilative and accommodative coping. The insights gained from this study will guide subsequent research that will serve to identify those who are at risk for mental health problems, and to optimize interventions that help individuals adapt to vision impairment as well to other disabilities. Specific aims are: 1. To explore the interrelationships between vision impairment severity, functional disability, and mental health outcomes, and to examine if these relationships vary by age. 2. To examine the role of assimilative and accommodative modes of coping in the relationships among vision impairment severity, functional disability, and mental health, 3. To explore whether the role of assimilative and accommodative modes of coping differs depending on the stage in the life cycle at which the vision occurs by comparing middle age and older adults. 50-middle aged and 50 older adults will be recruited from a community- based rehabilitation agency. Regression analyses will be conducted to test the effects of independent variables on mental health outcomes.