Are Aged Blacks Who Manifest Differences in Community Security Also Different in Coping Reactions?

Seventy-two aged Blacks, equally divided between those residing in a high-rise public housing project and those living in the community awaiting admission were interviewed to test the theory that differences in community security would predict differences in coping reactions. Data on perceived community security and reported medical, social and mental coping reactions were collected, using a simply and directly worded, precoded, stimulus-response instrument developed by the author. Respondents were assigned to either a high or to a low community security group by two methods: first, they were assigned a place of residence; next, they were assigned according to their obtained community security score.

Results in general supported the theory. Of the two empirical indicators of community security, however, larger differences in coping reaction scores were found in the high scoring and low scoring community security groups than in the high-rise and community groups.