ADAPTATION TO COMMUNITY RELOCATION - THE INTERACTIVE INFLUENCE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL RESOURCES AND CONTEXTUAL FACTORS

This longitudinal study examined the interactive influences of psychol ogical resources and contextual factors on short-term adaptation to co mmunity relocation in a sample of older women (N = 102, mean age = 71. 6). The effects of three psychological resources (environmental master y, autonomy, and personal growth) and three contextual factors (pressu re to move, difficulty of the move, and unexpected gains experienced) on emotional reactions to relocation were examined. The pattern of fin dings suggests that women with greater psychological resources were mo re resilient in the face of negative circumstances but that the emotio nal ''boost'' of unexpected gains was greatest for women with lower pr emove resources. These results underscore the importance of considerin g event-relevant psychological resources and contextual factors and in cluding both negative and positive aspects of the adaptational process .