Self-help and help-seeking behavior patterns in healthy elders.

The challenges and losses that accompany aging may alter task performance and self-care ability. However, resourceful elders maintain independence in daily tasks despite adverse situations. Resourcefulness consists of self-help strategies for coping with adversity. Elders may also seek help from others when faced by challenges or losses. This study examines self-help and help-seeking behaviors in relation to depressive cognitions, adaptive functioning, and life satisfaction among 120 healthy elders. Self-help was significantly correlated with the absence of depressive cognitions and with higher adaptive functioning, but help-seeking was not. Both self-help and help-seeking were significantly correlated with greater life satisfaction. However, self-help and help-seeking were not associated. The findings suggest that healthy elders may benefit from interventions that facilitate self-help and those that teach them to seek outside help. Future research should examine self-help and help-seeking strategies in elders whose physical or psychological health is compromised.