Adaptation to community relocation: the interactive influence of psychological resources and contextual factors.

This longitudinal study examined the interactive influences of psychological resources and contextual factors on short-term adaptation to community relocation in a sample of older women (N = 102, mean age = 71.6). The effects of three psychological resources (environmental mastery, autonomy, and personal growth) and three contextual factors (pressure to move, difficulty of the move, and unexpected gains experienced) on emotional reactions to relocation were examined. The pattern of findings suggests that women with greater psychological resources were more resilient in the face of negative circumstances but that the emotional "boost" of unexpected gains was greatest for women with lower premove resources. These results underscore the importance of considering event-relevant psychological resources and contextual factors and including both negative and positive aspects of the adaptational process.