An Exploratory Study of How Older Cubans Cope with Difficult Living Conditions

David L Strug

doi:10.13169/intejcubastud.11.2.0228

Abstract

Population aging is a concern to policy makers in Cuba where by 2025 there will be more pensioners than workers. We describe a unique, exploratory study of older Cubans 60+ years of age and how they cope with stress associated with economic vulnerability and adverse living conditions. Many older persons have incomes too low to provide a minimum standard of living. We address the following questions. (1) What chronic environmental stressors do older persons face? (2) What strategies do they employ to cope with these stressors? (3) What implications for policy follow from these questions? We discuss qualitative data from interviews with 50 older persons conducted in Havana in a mixed methods investigation. Most participants appraised difficult living conditions as hard to change, which explains a high prevalence of the use of avoidance coping strategies, including resignation. Policy makers need to understand how older persons cope with adversity to determine relevant service needs for this population.

Highlights

IntroductionPensioners will outnumber workers on the Island by 2025 (ONEI 2012b)
Cuba’s fast-growing older population is a central concern of policy makers
We explore whether the stress associated with difficult living conditions might cause older persons to engage in avoidance coping strategies, such as emotional catharsis, more than in problem-solving ones, such as coping with adversity by taking direct action

Summary

Introduction

Pensioners will outnumber workers on the Island by 2025 (ONEI 2012b) This will further strain Cuba’s already weak economy (Montes 2018). Many members of this rapidly growing older population are economically vulnerable; meaning they have incomes that are too low to provide a minimum standard of living (Torres 1993). Older persons receive pensions that are insufficient to cover basic needs, including for food. They depend on help from family, remittances from abroad, or work in the private sector to survive. A fast growing older population is an important reason why government introduced structural reforms in 2008 and reduced social spending (Mesa-Lago and Pérez-López 2013). Government raised the retirement age from 55 to 60 for women and from 60 to 65 for men to save money by issuing fewer pensions

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Conclusion