The coping pattern of aged: A review

Pages: 241-245
Shabnam Ansari and Tejpreet Kaur Kang (Department of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Home Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab)

Ageing is a universal process. At this stage of life stress is inevitable part of living. Stress comes in all shapes, and has become so pervasive, that it seems to percolate everything and everybody including senior citizens. Stress can originate in physiological, psychological and social conditions and threaten the integrity of the body and personality. Most of the symptoms that senior citizen generally face are fear of death, feeling of insecurity and general excitement, fatigue, insomnia, gastrointestinal disturbances, depression of spirits, emotional instability, inferiority feelings, pains and headaches, indecision, intolerance, suicidal pre-occupation, panic states, giddiness and genitourinary symptoms and other physiological disturbances. In this stage only good coping skill (constantly changing cognitive & behavioural efforts to manage specific external &/or internal demands) can help a agedin expending conscious effort to solve personal and interpersonal problems, and seeking to master, minimize or tolerate stress or a challenging situation. Therefore, this paper aims to review the common coping patters of aged people.