Empirical verification of a theoretical model derived from the Roy adaptation model: findings from five studies

Abstract

This article presents a theoretical model derived from the Roy adaptation model and the findings of an empirical verification of this model from five studies. Four groups of subjects were included in the studies: informal caregivers of demented relatives at home, informal caregivers of psychiatrically ill relatives at home, professional caregivers of elderly institutionalized patients, and aged spouses in the community. In at least three studies, a number of theoretical propositions derived from the Roy adaptation model were supported using LISREL VIII, thus adding credence to some tenets of Roy's model. Particularly, the focal stimulus of perceived stress, the contextual stimulus of conflicts in the exchange of social support, and one component of the coping mechanisms (the passive/avoidance coping strategies) were positively linked directly or indirectly with psychological distress, which is an indicator of adaptation in the self-concept mode. Given their importance, these elements should be considered in the development of a middle-range theory of psychological adaptation derived from the Roy adaptation model.