Small Stressors, Big Impacts: Investigating Age Differences in Daily Hassles and Their Impact on Wellbeing in Cape Breton

Abstract

Previous research suggests that daily hassles, minor stressors encountered in everyday life, are better predictors of wellbeing than rare major life events (Chamberlain & Zika, 1990; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Research also shows that how these daily hassles are experienced changes across the lifespan; older adults typically report fewer hassles, lower global perceived stress, and higher wellbeing and quality of life (Burckhardt & Anderson, 2003; Charles & Piazza, 2009; Scott et al., 2013; Stawski et al., 2008; Stefaniak et al., 2022; World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe, 1998). However, limited studies have examined whether these patterns hold in smaller or rural populations, such as Cape Breton. The present study investigated age differences in daily hassles severity by comparing younger adults (ages 18-30) and older adults (ages 60 or older) residing in Cape Breton, using the newly developed LIVES-Daily Hassles Scale (Udayar et al., 2023). This study also examined how daily hassles severity relates to wellbeing and quality of life, and whether global perceived stress, emotion regulation, and resilient coping predict daily hassles severity. An independent samples t-test revealed that younger adults reported significantly more severe overall hassles (t(61.76) = 3.42, p < .001, d = 0.65), specifically financial, professional, and relational. Younger adults also reported significantly lower wellbeing (U(129) = 748.00, p < .001, d = -0.48) and significantly lower use of cognitive reappraisal (t(129) = -2.91, p = .004). A stepwise regression analysis showed that global perceived stress remained as the only significant predictor of hassles severity (F(1, 129) = 26.89, p < .001, R2 = 0.172). A second stepwise regression analysis revealed that global perceived stress, daily hassles severity, and resilient coping significantly predicted wellbeing (F(3, 124) = 45.02, p < .001, R2 = 0.52). These findings support the Strength and Vulnerability Integration Theory (SAVI; Charles & Piazza, 2009), emphasizing the role of life experience in stress regulation. Results highlight the importance of addressing overall stress and promoting adaptive coping strategies to support wellbeing. They also point to a need for public health initiatives targeting financial, professional, and relational stressors for young adults and hint at a need for an initiative targeting physical stressors for older adults.