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Social Problem Solving as a Mediator of Stress-Related Depression and Anxiety in Middle-Aged and Elderly Community Residents

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Abstract

This study examined the relations between everyday problems, social problem solving, and depression and anxiety in middle-aged and elderly community residents, using a multidimensional measure of social problem-solving ability that assesses positive problem orientation, negative problem orientation, rational problem solving, impulsivity/carelessness style, and avoidance style. While problem-solving deficits were found to be significantly related to depression and anxiety in both age samples, no support was found for a moderator hypothesis which assumes that problem-solving ability interacts with everyday problems to reduce depression and anxiety. On the other hand, support was found in both samples for a mediational model which assumes that problem solving is an intervening variable that accounts to a significant degree for the causal relations between everyday problems and depression and anxiety. Although all five problem-solving dimensions were significantly related to depression and anxiety, negative problem orientation was found to contribute most to the significant mediating effect.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State University of New York at Stony Brook, USA.

    Gail L. Kant & Thomas J. D'Zurilla

  2. Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain

    Albert Maydeu-Olivares

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  1. Gail L. Kant
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  2. Thomas J. D'Zurilla
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  3. Albert Maydeu-Olivares
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Kant, G.L., D'Zurilla, T.J. & Maydeu-Olivares, A. Social Problem Solving as a Mediator of Stress-Related Depression and Anxiety in Middle-Aged and Elderly Community Residents. Cognitive Therapy and Research 21, 73–96 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021820326754

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