Proactive Coping Skills: Gender Differential in Different Ecological Settings

Proactive coping skills consist of efforts undertaken in advance for a potentially stressful event to prevent it or to modify it's form before it occurs. The present study intended to compare the proactive coping skills of elderly males and females in different ecological settings. A sample of 120 males and their wives, belonging to NCR (Gurgaon) and Non-NCR (Hisar) were selected in the age range 35-40 years. Proactive coping skills were measured using Hindi Adaptation of Proactive Coping Inventory (PCI) developed by Bhushan et al. (2010). The results showed that males and females in higher percentage were in average category on all aspects of proactive coping skills as well as composite proactive coping skills. Though, non-NCR respondents (male and female) were using better proactive coping skills than their counterparts. Significant differences existed in reflective coping (z=2.54, p<0.05), preventive coping (z=2.70, p<0.05) and composite proactive coping skills (z=2.04, p<0.05) in male across two regions, whereas, females differed significantly in reflective coping (z=2.97, p<0.05) and composite proactive coping skills (z=2.09, p<0.05) in both regions. Instrumental support seeking, emotional support seeking and avoidance coping skills were more used by females.