Abstract
This study explored the stressors and coping mechanisms of older adults, 60 years old and over, who teach in three state higher education institutions in Manila, Philippines. Descriptive correlation method of research was employed. One hundred eighty-eight were randomly selected from the roster of 356 target participants. The Older Adults Life Stress Inventory was used to identify the severity of stressors as experienced by the respondent senior professionals for the past 3 years along the areas of physical, health, social, family, occupational and financial domains. The Coping Strategy Inventory Short Form 32 was used to determine typical coping strategies that involve problem-solving, cognitive restructuring, express emotions and social contact. Tests of correlation, however, revealed that all the six stressors areas have a significant positive correlation with problem avoidance, wishful thinking, self-criticism and social withdrawal (p < 0.01). Multiple regression analyses disclosed that older adult men have a greater preponderance to experience stressors than older adult women
 
 Keywords: Older adult professionals, stressors, coping mechanisms, physical-related stressors, health-related stressors, social-related stressors, family-related stressors, occupational stressors, financial stressors.
Highlights
The rapid increase in the proportion of older people globally has brought special attention to the changing social meaning of ageing
Several studies have investigated on the stressors experienced and the stress-reduction and coping mechanisms of older adults (Beyen, Becker & Mayen, 2002; Gandee, Knierim & McLittle-Marino, 1998; Hamarat et al, 2002; Krause, 2004a; Neupert et al, 2007; Seigrist, 2001) but only a few of them focus on professionals in the academe
Data were gathered through the administration of the following instruments: (1) the Older Adults Life Stress Inventory (OALSI) and (2) The Coping Strategies Inventory (CSI) Short Form 2
Summary
The rapid increase in the proportion of older people globally has brought special attention to the changing social meaning of ageing. Little work has been published which address the specific concerns of elderly in the academe (Mahan et al, 2010; Moeller & Chung-Yan, 2013; Sliskovic & Maslic Sersic, 2011), the need to gather more empirical data that would help understand the stressors and coping practices of this sector of older adults. In the case of a tertiary institution, the growing challenges and expectations, both quantity and quality of work, i.e., providing quality curriculum and instruction, evaluating student outcomes, attaining higher levels of postgraduate education and trainings, conducting scientific research and publications, etc., had become a source of stress for the members ofthe academic community (Sliskovic & Maslic Sersic, 2011)
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