Psychological Predictors of Coping Responses Among Greek Basketball Referees

Abstract

The authors examined the effects of situational appraisals (perceived control and intensity), coping styles (monitoring and blunting), and personal dispositions (optimism and self-esteem) on the approach and avoidance coping responses of skilled Greek basketball referees (N = 162) and the consistency of their responses following 3 game-related stressful situations. In an effort to clarify the variables involved in coping and to consider the theoretical principles both within and beyond sports, the authors replicated an earlier study among Australian basketball referees (A. Kaissidis-Rodafinos, M. H. Anshel, & A. Porter, 1997). The results were equivocal: The Greek referees were not consistent in using avoidance and approach coping responses across situations. Approach coping was more predictable than avoidance coping in accounting for both situational and personal variables.     

The role of meaning in gastric cancer patients: relationships among meaning structures,coping, and psychological well-being

ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives: Research demonstrates that the experience of cancer invariably violates patients’ meaning structures, prompting them to use coping strategies to alleviate stress and enhance well-being. The current study aimed to examine the mediating effects of coping strategies in the relationship between global and situational meaning and psychological well-being in gastric cancer patients.

Design and Method: One hundred eighty-seven patients (96 women and 91 men) with gastric cancer completed questionnaires measuring meaning in life, changes of beliefs and goals, coping, and psychological well-being. Participants were between 27 and 82 years of age. They were diagnosed with gastric cancer from 1 to 3.2 years ago. Using Structural Equation Modeling, both the direct and indirect associations between meaning structures, coping, and psychological well-being were examined.

Results: Meaning in life exerted significant indirect effects on psychological well-being through three coping strategies: problem-, emotion-, and meaning-focused. The relationship between changes of beliefs and goals and psychological well-being was also mediated by coping.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that coping strategies are mediators in the relationship between global and situational meaning and psychological well-being. They also provide empirical evidence that in severe cancer-related stress conditions both meaning structures and coping strategies influence patients’ psychological well-being.     

The ecological validity of the autonomic-subjective response dissociation in repressive coping

Background and Objectives: Repressive coping has been associated with elevated cardiovascular reactivity and diminished self-reported negative affect (so-called autonomic-subjective response dissociation, ASRD) in response to laboratory stressors. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the ecological validity of this response pattern. Design: An ambulatory assessment strategy was applied in order to analyze associations between ASRD and repressive coping throughout a day. Methods: A sample of 114 individuals was recruited. Heart rate was recorded via ECG and subjective reports of negative affect as well as the experience of demand and control (as indicators of stress) and situational characteristics were assessed several times a day via mobile electronic devices. Results: Repressive coping relative to other coping dispositions was accompanied by elevated ASRD during stressful episodes in daily life, thus supporting previous laboratory research. Conclusions: The findings suggest that repressive coping is associated with a discrepancy between subjective reports of negative affect and autonomic responding to stressful encounters in everyday life, which might impact health.     

Developmental changes in coping: Situational and methodological influences

Abstract

Previous studies on the development of coping have shown rather inconsistent findings regarding the developmental trajectories for different coping dimensions. The aim of this study is to search for possible influences that might explain these inconsistencies. The analysis focuses on methodological influences (longitudinal vs. cross-sectional assessments) and situational influences. Two samples of children were traced longitudinally with yearly assessments from grade 2 to 5 (sample 1, N =432) and from grade 4 to 7 (sample 2, N =366). A third sample (N =849) was added with cross-sectional assessments from grade 2 to 7. The assessed coping dimensions were related to (a) problem solving, (b) seeking social support, (c) palliative coping, (d) externalizing emotional coping, and (e) avoidant coping. The use of the coping strategies had to be assessed for six stress-evoking situations. The results show only small differences between the longitudinal and the cross-sectional coping assessments. There are, however, clear situational influences on the choice of the coping strategies and also on the resulting developmental trajectories.     

Must coping options be severely limited during stressful events: Testing the interaction between primary and secondary appraisals

Abstract

It is assumed that psychological stress develops in personally relevant events when situational demands tax or exceed coping resources (i.e., when coping options are severely limited). Despite the central role of this proposition in defining stress, it has been little investigated due to conceptual overlap in definitions of primary and secondary appraisals. In the present work, the interaction between primary and secondary appraisals was used in order to test this proposition, employing non-overlapping definitions of appraisal components. Appraisals were manipulated independently, using written scenarios of stressful occupational episodes, each with three levels of personal stakes and three levels of coping options. Results indicated that the appraisal factors exerted main, but not interaction, effects on negative and positive moods. This means that emotional response increases in proportion to the level of personal stakes in the encounter, with coping potential acting as independent predictor, rather than moderator variable. Contrary to expectations, therefore, emotional distress might develop under conditions where situational demands fall short of exerting all the available resources for coping. The theoretical implications of these results are discussed.     

Surviving and Thriving After Trauma and Loss

Abstract

Individuals and their communities experience trauma and loss during times of natural disaster. Using Hurricane Katrina as a context, the authors provide an overview of the phases of disaster coping and discuss the ambiguous losses that can occur during these traumatic and life-changing times. The use of rituals as a creative intervention is introduced to help individuals and families facilitate their grief processes.     

Validity of the trait emotional intelligence questionnaire in sports and its links with performance satisfaction

ObjectiveThis research project consisted of two studies aimed at validating the trait emotional intelligence questionnaire (TEIQue) in a sports sample.DesignStudy 1 used a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to investigate if the original 4-factor structure of the TEIQue could be replicated in a sample of athletes. In addition, we explored the relationship between trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) and the demographic variables age, sex, type of sport (individual vs. team), expertise, and years of training. Study 2 used a path analysis approach to explore if trait EI is related to performance satisfaction through stress appraisal and coping behaviors.MethodIn Study 1, 973 athletes completed the TEIQue and a demographic questionnaire. In Study 2, 291 athletes completed the TEIQue. Moreover, with a recent competition in mind, they completed the Coping Inventory for Competitive Sports, as well as items on perceived intensity of stress, perceived controllability of stress, challenge and threat appraisals, coping effectiveness, and performance satisfaction.ResultsStudy 1 showed with a CFA that the original 4-factor structure of the TEIQue could be replicated in a sports sample. Of the demographic variables, only age showed a significant positive relationship with trait EI. Study 2 showed that trait EI was related to performance satisfaction through stress appraisal and coping variables.ConclusionsThis research showed that the TEIQue can be used with athletes and that trait EI is useful for understanding certain aspects of sports performance satisfaction.     

The regulation of subjective well-being in cancer patients: An analysis of coping effectiveness

Abstract

The hypothesis that individual coping efforts affect subjective well-being in the face of severe chronic disease is examined with questionnaire data from N=332 cancer patients in a one-year longitudinal study. After depicting conceptual and methodological requirements for the analysis of coping effectiveness, the following five coping modes were investigated in the sample: Rumination, search for affiliation, threat minimization, search for information and search for meaning in religion. Results from a series of hierarchical regression analyses yielded findings that questioned the underlying assumption of a general uniform causal direction within coping-adjustment relationships. Threat minimization proved to be the only coping mode that obviously was “effective” in well-being regulation, that is, was revealed to be predictive of well-being changes over time and to be unaffected by prior levels of well-being. It is argued that the problem of causal directionality has to be carefully examined in future studies on coping effectiveness since interindividual differences in coping behaviors might be a consequence rather than the cause of differences in adjustment status.     

Emotional maturity,dispositional coping,and coping effectiveness among adolescent athletes

ObjectivesAlthough some scholars have suggested that coping is constrained by emotional maturity, little is known about the relationship between these constructs. In this paper we assessed a model that included emotional maturity, dispositional coping, and coping effectiveness. We predicted that emotional maturity would have a direct effect on coping effectiveness in addition to an indirect effect via task-, distraction-, and disengagement-oriented coping.DesignCross-sectional.MethodsSeven hundred and ninety athletes completed measures of emotional maturity, dispositional coping, and coping effectiveness. The data was analyzed using structural equation modeling, which revealed partial support for our model.ResultsSeveral of the predicted paths were significant. In particular, there was a significant path between emotional maturity and task-oriented coping, but the paths between emotional maturity and distraction- and disengagement-oriented coping were not significant.ConclusionOur findings indicate that how an athlete copes might be limited by his or her level of emotional maturity, which provides further evidence that coping is constrained by maturation among adolescent athletes.     

The relationship of individual and communal state-trait coping and interpersonal resources as trust,empathy and responsibility

Prior research and theoretical considerations revealed important information about the role of individual state-trait coping and personal resources for coping with an examination. However, the relationship between communal coping strategies and interpersonal resources has yet to be investigated. In order to understand the relationship between state-trait coping and interpersonal resources, several statistical analyses were used. The German Strategic Approach to Coping Scale (GSACS, GSACS-Exam), the Interpersonal Trust Scale (ITS), and exam-specific Empathy and Responsibility Scales (RESP-Exam, EMP-Exam) were combined for collecting data from a sample of 122 examiner-examinee-dyads. Data on empathy and responsibility of examiners were gathered as well as dispositional coping styles and trust of examinees eight weeks prior to an oral examination. Dispositional coping predicted comparable situational coping, reported immediately after the examination at a low-moderate level. Communal coping strategies tended to vary more than individual ones. Interpersonal resources were found to predict specific communal coping responses and a path model revealed the mediating effect of interpersonal trust. The results are discussed in the light of communal coping theory and educational significance.     

The Ways in Which Adolescents Cope and their Relationship to Age,Gender and Specific Religious Variables

This study investigated the roles of age, gender, the importance of religion/spirituality, attending church activities and frequency of prayer on the types of adolescents’ coping strategies. Participants were drawn from ten public high schools. Data on coping strategies, personal variables and religiosity and spirituality were collected using the Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences (A-COPE) coping inventory. Scheffé posthoc tests were used to evaluate associations between the coping strategies used by adolescents and the identified personal and faith-oriented variables. Gender and age explained some differences in types of coping strategies preferred. Specifically, females used the developing social support coping strategy more than males; older adolescents used the avoiding problems coping strategy more than younger adolescents. Adolescents for whom religion/spirituality is of lesser importance, obtained a significantly higher mean score for the avoiding problems subscale. Both personal variables (age and gender) as well as one of the faith-oriented variables (importance of religion) were identified as important role players in using developing social support and avoiding problems as coping strategies by adolescents.     

The effectiveness of a proactive coping intervention targeting self-management in diabetes patients

Objective: The study’s aim was to investigate psychological, behavioral and medical long-term outcomes of an existing self-management intervention targeting the development of proactive coping skills (e.g. goal setting and identifying barriers) in type 2 diabetes patients. The study aimed to replicate prior research showing the intervention’s effectiveness, and to extend it by (a) adding booster sessions and (b) prolonging the period of follow-up measurement to capture long-term effects.

Design/outcome measures: A total of 141 type 2 diabetes patients were included in the intervention. The intervention employed a 5-step approach to target proactive coping skills. Psychological (e.g. proactive coping and self-efficacy) and behavioural variables (e.g. self-care, diet and physical activity) were assessed at baseline (T1), after the initial phase of the intervention (T2), after the booster phase (T3) and at follow-up (T4), comprising a total period of 15 months. Medical variables were assessed at T1 and T4.

Results: Employing piecewise Latent Growth Curve Modelling, results showed that participants improved on all psychological and behavioural variables during the initial phase and maintained these improvements over 12 months. The booster phase yielded no further improvements. Mixed findings were obtained on medical outcomes.

Conclusion: The original intervention is effective, but the added value of the booster sessions is uncertain.     

A revaluation of the adaptiveness of avoidant and vigilant coping with surgery

Abstract

It has been assumed that an avoidant coping style is less adaptive in patients coping with surgery than a vigilant coping style. Empirical evidence, however, has indicated the contrary. This article, therefore, revaluated the adaptiveness of these coping styles. A review of the literature yielded three conditions of the situation that determine the adaptiveness of coping: controllability of the situation, time-reference and interpretational set. Problem-focused coping, vigilance, active coping and monitoring seem to be more adaptive in controllable situations; emotion-focused coping, avoidance, blunting and passive coping more adaptive when little control is possible. For short-term adaptation, avoidance seems the more adaptive strategy, whereas in the long run vigilance is a better strategy. Regarding interpretational set, avoidance seems more adaptive when patients have to cope with the emotional value of the event; vigilance seems more adaptive when coping with sensory elements of the event. Implications of the situational conditions for the adaptiveness of coping with surgical stress and consequences for future research are discussed.     

Situational Determinants of Coping in Smoking Relapse Crises1

Interviews with 264 callers to a relapse prevention hotline were used to explore situational determinants of coping among exsmokers facing temptations to smoke. As hypothesized, subjects were more likely to perform cognitive and behavioral coping early in abstinence. Coping was also more likely in situations where subjects had habitually smoked. Discriminant function analyses were used to predict the performance of coping from situational variables. Cognitive coping could not be predicted. Performance of behavioral coping was predictable from six situational variables which accounted for 28% of the variance in coping performance. These situational variables also accounted for the decay of behavioral coping over time. The findings imply that individual differences play a limited role in coping performance and have implications for clinical efforts to enhance smoking cessation through coping interventions.     

Antecedents and consequences of coping in the anticipatory stage of an exam: A longitudinal study emphasizing the role of affect

Abstract

A longitudinal study with three periods of data collection has been designed to test a model concerning the antecedents and consequences of coping in the anticipatory stage of an examination stress process. The model tested focuses on the role of positive and negative affect at an early stage as the main antecedents for coping. Primary and secondary appraisal, and dispositional variables (perceived personal competence and optimism) have been related to early affect. Moreover, the consequences of coping, considered as the affect measured after the deployment of coping strategies, and the grade obtained in the exam, are also tested. Results show that early affect is the main antecedent of displayed coping strategies. Dispositional variables and appraisal are related to affect, and differential effects of coping in later affect have been noticed. No relationship between coping and grade has been found. Implications for research on coping with examination stress are discussed.     

Stress coping and the adjustment process among university freshmen

The purpose of the present study was to investigate causal relationships between dispositional and situational coping and health status in university freshmen. Two hundred and twenty-nine university freshmen completed questionnaires at Time 1 (immediately after university matriculation) and at Time 2 (approximately three months later) in a short-term, prospective study. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze causal relationships between four coping strategies (i.e., emotion expression, emotional support seeking, cognitive reinterpretation, and problem solving) and four health status variables (i.e., somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction, and depression). Increases in dispositional coping predicted increases in situational coping at certain time points. In addition, increases in dispositional emotion-focused coping, such as emotion expression and emotional support seeking, predicted poor health status. This relationship was mediated by situational coping variables. Finally, increases in dispositional problem-focused coping, such as cognitive reinterpretation and problem solving, predicted better health status. This relationship was direct or indirectly mediated by situational coping variables. Our data suggest that the use of coping skills such as cognitive reinterpretation and problem solving may promote better health and adaptation in university freshmen.     

Job stressors,Type A behavior,coping responses,and psychological burnout among teachers

This study examined a research model developed to understand psychological burnout in work settings. Data were collected from 473 teachers and school administrators using questionnaires completed anonymously. Four groups of predictor variables identified in previous research were considered: individual demographic and situational variables, Type A behavior, job Stressors and coping responses. Type A behavior, job Stressors and coping responses were significantly and independently related to levels of psychological burnout.     

An emerging online social network and disaster-induced collective stress

ABSTRACT

Drawing on coping and sensemaking theory, this study proposes a theoretical integration framework that links individuals’ psychological responses and adaptive behaviors with collective interests regarding social stress in disaster. Particularly in a social stress situation due to a man-made disaster, we further propose an evolving topic-based social network through the central role of retweets among people over time. To accomplish this, we examined a test case of the Sewol ferry disaster in Korea and collected retweets extracted from Twitter during the disaster from April 6, 2014 to September 30, 2014. Using topic and social network analysis, we found evidence from the emerging structure shaped by connected nodes and linkage via changes in recurrent retweets on the basis of stages of the coping and sensemaking process.     

The impact of uncertainty and communal coping on mental health following natural disasters

Abstract

Feelings of uncertainty are a central feature of the disaster experience. Surprisingly, though, there is very little systematic quantitative research about the impact of uncertainty on disaster survivors. Moreover, communal coping has increasingly received attention as a potential buffer of the negative effects of stressors but that literature is also limited in its application to disasters. This investigation applies research in the domain of uncertainty, together with the Theoretical Model of Communal Coping to better understand the experience of a community exposed to three wildfires in a one year period. A random-digit dialing procedure was used to gather data from 402 individuals. Participants completed measures of mental health, uncertainty, and communal coping in the context of their experience with the most personally stressful of the three wildfires. All analyses were examined separately for those who were evacuated and those who were not. Results support the negative impact of uncertainty across both evacuated and nonevacuated sub-samples and show a strong buffering role for communal coping among those who evacuated. The implications of these findings for the understanding of wildfire survivors' experiences are noted and future directions are proposed.