Vision Loss, Coping Tendencies, and Mental Health

本研究的长期目标是更好地了解慢性视力障碍的中老年人视力障碍严重程度、功能障碍、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常见的残疾。它对功能能力和与他人互动的主要影响已被证明使个体处于抑郁和较差的感知适应视力丧失的风险中，这项工作更多地有助于理解适应不良的应对模式，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状况不佳风险的因素。此外，先前的研究没有包括发展的观点，并且仅限于老年人的研究。拟议的研究试图通过比较中年人和老年人来填补这一空白，并利用一个包含发展成分的理论框架，并规定了减轻抑郁的应对模式，使一个人在面对重大衰退时保持弹性：同化和适应性应对模式。从这项研究中获得的见解将指导后续的研究，这些研究将有助于识别那些有精神健康问题风险的人，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.；探讨视力损害严重程度、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因年龄而异。2. 目的探讨同化和适应应对模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。通过对中老年人群的比较，探讨同化和适应应对模式是否因视力发生的生命周期阶段不同而有所不同。将从社区康复机构招募50名中年人和50名老年人。将进行回归分析，以检验独立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.