Self‐Presentational Cognitions for Exercise in Female Adolescents

The study's main purpose was to clarify the role of a range of self‐presentational cognitions in the relationship between social physique anxiety and exercise behavior. Female participants (N= 331; M age = 14.5 years) reported their exercise frequency and completed measures of self‐presentation. Exercise frequency was positively predicted by self‐presentational efficacy expectations (SPEE) and self‐presentational outcome value (SPOV). Moreover, SPEE moderated the relationship between social physique anxiety (SPA) and exercise frequency. SPA was negatively related to exercise frequency when SPEE was high, but positively related to exercise frequency when SPEE was low. Therefore, interventions designed to increase exercise frequency among adolescent girls should include strategies that both reduce SPA and enhance SPEE and SPOV.     

Coping Strategies With Minor Stressors in Adolescence: Relationships With Social Support,Self‐Efficacy,and Psychological Well‐Being

This study examined age and gender differences in coping strategies used by adolescents (N = 342; age = 14–19 years) in dealing with everyday minor stressors. Relationships with coping resources (self‐efficacy, social support) and the impact of coping on psychological well‐being were assessed. Coping strategies were measured using the Coping Across Situations Questionnaire (CASQ; Seiffge‐Krenke, 1995 ). Results showed that adolescents' coping strategies differed according to problem domain. The most frequently used strategies were active and internally focused. Females used a wider range of coping strategies than did males. Significant correlations were found among coping strategies and coping resources. Moreover, the adoption of some strategies significantly affected adolescents' psychological well‐being.     

Social anxiety and anger regulation

Based on the assumption that social anxiety is associated with less assertive behaviour and that effective anger regulation is influenced by social anxiety, two studies were conducted to examine the relationship between social anxiety and anger regulation. In Study 1, questionnaires measuring social anxiety, assertiveness, and six habitual anger‐related responses were administered to 115 adults. Social anxiety had an independent effect on rumination and submission, whereas assertiveness was independently related to the use of humour and feedback. In Study 2 (N = 136 adults) self‐ and observer ratings of anger‐related behaviour were obtained after anger was experimentally induced. Social anxiety was related to self‐ratings of submission and rumination. However, independent observer ratings based on videotapes revealed no significant influence of social anxiety on anger‐related behaviour. Taken together, the results provide evidence that social anxiety is associated with the self‐perception of less assertive behaviour and the tendency to evaluate one's behaviour more negatively. These results are consistent with prior studies showing that socially anxious persons tend to underestimate their social performance relative to the ratings of independent observers. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The development of a Peer Aggression Coping Self‐Efficacy Scale for Adolescents

This study presents findings regarding the reliability and validity of a newly developed measure designed to assess children's self‐efficacy for coping with peer aggression. The sample consisted of 2,161 participants (1,071 females and 1,090 males, who ranged in age from 10 to 15 years; 63% White, 17% Middle‐Eastern, 10% Asian, and 10% from other ethnic groups). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the four conceptualized coping self‐efficacy domains: self‐efficacy for proactive behaviour, self‐efficacy for avoiding aggressive behaviour, self‐efficacy for avoiding self‐blame, and self‐efficacy for victim‐role disengagement. Internal consistencies for the coping domains were between .87 and .90. Validity was examined by correlations between the coping self‐efficacy domains and psychological adjustment variables. Greater coping self‐efficacy was associated with less social anxiety, cognitive depression, and externalizing symptoms. The Peer Aggression Coping Self‐Efficacy Scale provides a useful measure for examining children's self‐efficacy for using a range of strategies to deal with peer aggression.     

Acute Thoughts,Exercise Consistency,and Coping Self‐Efficacy1

One study purpose was to determine whether individuals classified with respect to consistency of exercise adherence and acute thinking tone differed on coping self‐efficacy, decisional struggle, exercise intention, and affect. A second study purpose was to examine whether coping self‐efficacy predicted struggle, intention, and affect. Participants were 160 healthy people (Mage = 25.6 years) exercising in fitness settings. Social cognitive, affect, and exercise consistency measures were obtained concurrently. A multivariate analysis indicated that positive thinkers experienced significantly lower decisional struggle and higher coping self‐efficacy compared to negative thinkers. Further, consistent exercisers experienced significantly lower decisional struggle and higher coping self‐efficacy, intention, and positive affect compared to inconsistent exercisers. Regression analyses indicated that coping self‐efficacy significantly predicted decisional struggle and intention.     

Getting going and letting go: Religiosity fosters opportunity‐congruent coping with work‐related uncertainties

This study investigated how religiosity relates to goal engagement (i.e., investing time and effort; overcoming obstacles) and goal disengagement (i.e., protecting self‐esteem and motivational resources against failure experiences; distancing from unattainable goals) in coping with perceived work‐related uncertainties (e.g., growing risk of job loss) that arise from current social change. We hypothesised that religiosity not only expands individuals' capacities for both engagement and disengagement but also fosters an opportunity‐congruent pattern of engagement and disengagement, promoting engagement especially under favourable opportunities for goal‐striving in the social ecology and facilitating disengagement especially under unfavourable opportunities. Multilevel analyses in a sample of N = 2089 Polish adults aged 20–46 years partly supported these predictions. Religiosity was associated with higher goal engagement, especially under favourable economic opportunities for goal‐striving in the social ecology (as measured by the regional net migration rate). For disengagement, the results were more mixed; religiosity was related to higher self‐protection independently of the economic opportunity structure and predicted higher goal‐distancing only under the most unfavourable opportunities. These results suggest that religiosity can promote different coping strategies under different conditions, fostering a pattern of opportunity‐congruent engagement and, to some extent, disengagement that is likely to be adaptive.     

Depression and Social Anxiety in Children: Differential Links with Coping Strategies

Strategies that children use for coping with stressors are known to be related to emotional adjustment, but not enough is understood about specific links with social anxiety and depression. The present investigation tested differentiated associations of social anxiety and depression with specific types of coping strategies, and evaluated the direction of these associations over time. In Study 1, 404 children aged 8–13 years completed a coping scale modified from Kochendefer-Ladd and Skinner (Developmental Psychology 38:267-278, 2002) in order to evaluate factor structure and subscale internal consistency. In Study 2, 270 8–11-year-old children completed depression and social anxiety scales, a sociometric survey, and the coping scale from Study 1, with a follow-up timepoint 9 months later. In Study 1, factor analysis revealed six internally consistent coping subscales. In Study 2, social anxiety and depression were found to have distinctive longitudinal associations with subsequent coping strategies. Decreased problem-solving, social support-seeking, and distraction were uniquely predicted by depression but not by social anxiety. Internalising coping was a stronger outcome of social anxiety, and increased externalising was uniquely predicted by depression. There was also some evidence for a moderating role of peer relations. However, none of the coping strategies predicted changes in depression or social anxiety over the two timepoints. These results highlight the impact that emotional adjustment may have on children’s coping strategies, and clarify important distinctions between social anxiety and depression in relation to coping.     

Cognitions associated with recovery from alcohol dependence1

The present study examined the cognitive factors uniquely associated with the status of alcohol dependence recovery, assessing Korean patients who were recovered (n = 57), having been alcohol‐abstinent for 4 months or more after treatment, and who were nonrecovered (n = 213), being still in treatment. Compared with the nonrecovered group, the recovered group reported lower levels of denial of drinking problems and rationalization of drinking (two dimensions of specific beliefs that facilitate alcohol use), dysfunctional attitudes, depressed mood, and emotion‐focused coping. The recovered group also showed higher levels of alcohol abstinence self‐efficacy and problem‐focused coping. Both denial and alcohol abstinence self‐efficacy were uniquely associated with alcohol dependence recovery, when we controlled for the other relevant predictors, whereas neither dysfunctional attitudes nor rationalization were so associated. These findings could be useful in refining psychological interventions facilitating the recovery of alcohol‐dependent patients.     

Hearing Impairment, Coping Strategies, and Anxiety Sensitivity

The aim was to study coping strategies among hearing-impaired individuals by using a validated coping instrument—The Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WOCQ; S. Folkman & R. Lazarus, 1988)—and to relate the use of coping with anxiety sensitivity and experience of hearing impairment. A questionnaire booklet was sent out to the members of the local branch of the Swedish Hard of Hearing Association. Ninety-four members responded to the questionnaire, yielding a 53% response rate. Primary outcome measures were the WOCQ, the Anxiety Sensitivity Index, and visual analogue scale rating of discomfort from hearing impairment. Repeated measures analysis of WOCQ subscales showed that the participants used planful problem solving and self-controlling coping strategies whereas escape/avoidance responses were less frequently used than the other coping strategies. Anxiety sensitivity was associated with escape/avoidance coping (r = .63, p < .0001). In conclusion, hearing-impaired individuals do not use escape/avoidance coping more than other coping strategies. However, escape/avoidance coping is associated with anxiety sensitivity, suggesting that sensitivity to anxiety sensations is an important associated factor. Coping strategies were not associated with discomfort from hearing impairment in any meaningful way.     

Avoidant coping as a mediator between appearance‐related victimization and self‐esteem in young Australian adolescents

Peer victimization, especially appearance‐related bullying, is a highly stressful experience for a young person and is associated with significant negative outcomes. Perhaps, the most common consequence of peer victimization in adolescence is lowered self‐esteem. Evidence supports the role of low self‐esteem as a non‐specific risk factor and high self‐esteem as a protective factor in the development of mental disorders and social problems in adolescence. Moreover, the literature indicates a robust negative relationship between avoidant coping (i.e. distracting oneself, wishing the situation would go away) and psychological well‐being. In this paper, we test a mediational model of the associations between appearance‐related victimization, avoidance coping and self‐esteem in young Australian adolescents. Boys (N = 194) and girls (N = 185) with a mean age of 11 years completed measures assessing self‐esteem, appearance‐related victimization and styles of coping. The results showed that avoidant coping partially mediates the association between appearance‐related bullying problems and self‐esteem among young adolescents. This finding provides a specific target for psychosocial interventions in schools.     

Profiles of Resilience and Psychosocial Outcomes among Young Black Gay and Bisexual Men

Young Black gay/bisexual men (YBGBM) are affected by contextual stressors—namely syndemic conditions and minority stress—that threaten their health and well‐being. Resilience is a process through which YBGBM achieve positive psychosocial outcomes in the face of adverse conditions. Self‐efficacy, hardiness and adaptive coping, and social support may be important resilience factors for YBGBM. This study explores different profiles of these resilience factors in 228 YBGBM in New York City and compares profiles on psychological distress, mental health, and other psychosocial factors. Four profiles of resilience were identified: (a) Low self‐efficacy and hardiness/adaptive coping (23.5%); (b) Low peer and parental support (21.2%); (c) High peer support, low father support (34.5%); and (d) High father and mother support, self‐efficacy, and hardiness/adaptive coping (20.8%). YBGBM in profile 1 scored markedly higher on distress (d = .74) and lower on mental health functioning (d = .93) compared to men in the other profiles. Results suggest that self‐efficacy and hardiness/adaptive coping may play a more important role in protecting YBGBM from risks compared to social support and should be targeted in interventions. The findings show that resilience is a multidimensional construct and support the notion that there are different patterns of resilience among YBGBM.     

New students' psychological well‐being and its relation to first year academic performance in a UK university

Aims: This study (1) profiled the well‐being of first year students entering one UK university, and (2) explored whether initial well‐being and year end academic performance were correlated. Method: A total of 117 students (mean age 21, 67% female) completed the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale, Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation‐General Population, and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale; academic achievement data were collected from academic records. Results: Almost a quarter of the sample reported quasi‐clinical levels of psychological distress and moderate to very severe social anxiety. Quasi‐clinical levels of psychological distress were associated with low self‐esteem and social anxiety. No statistically significant links were found between well‐being as assessed at the beginning of the first year and academic achievement at the end of the first year. Discussion: The failure to find a link in this study between initial well‐being and academic performance at the end of the first year suggests that further investigation is required to understand how academic achievement is related to student well‐being.     

An atypical anxious‐impulsive pattern of social anxiety disorder in an adult clinical population

An atypical subgroup of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) with impulsive rather than inhibited traits has recently been reported. The current study examined whether such an atypical subgroup could be identified in a clinical population of 84 adults with SAD. The temperament dimensions harm avoidance and novelty seeking of the Temperament and Character Inventory, and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale were used in cluster analyses. The identified clusters were compared on depressive symptoms, the character dimension self‐directedness, and treatment outcome. Among the six identified clusters, 24% of the sample had atypical characteristics, demonstrating mainly generalized SAD in combination with coexisting traits of inhibition and impulsivity. As additional signs of severity, this group showed low self‐directedness and high levels of depressive symptoms. We also identified a typically inhibited subgroup comprising generalized SAD with high levels of harm avoidance and low levels of novelty seeking, with a similar clinical severity as the atypical subgroup. Thus, higher levels of harm avoidance and social anxiety in combination with higher or lower levels of novelty seeking and low self‐directedness seem to contribute to a more severe clinical picture. Post hoc examination of the treatment outcome in these subgroups showed that only 20 to 30% achieved clinically significant change.     

Coping strategies and perceived social support in fibromyalgia syndrome: Relationship with alexithymia

Fibromyalgia (FM ) is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by high levels of psychological distress and alexithymia, a personality disposition affecting emotional self‐awareness. The main aim of the present study was to investigate for the first time the relationship between alexithymia and coping strategies on the one hand, and alexithymia and perceived social support on the other, in a sample of FM patients. To reach this aim, 153 FM patients completed a battery of tests assessing coping strategies, perceived social support, alexithymia, psychological distress and pain intensity. Four regression analyses were performed to assess whether alexithymia was still a significant predictor of coping strategies and perceived social support, after controlling for psychological distress. High levels of both psychological distress and alexithymia were found in our sample of FM patients. Regarding coping strategies, FM patients reported higher scores on problem‐focused coping, with respect to the other two coping strategies. The regression analyses showed that the externally‐oriented thinking factor of alexithymia significantly explained both problem‐ and emotion‐focused coping, while the difficulty‐describing feelings factor of alexithymia proved to be a significant predictor of perceived social support. Only the variance of dysfunctional coping ceased to be uniquely explained by alexithymia (difficulty identifying feelings factor), after controlling for psychological distress, particularly anxiety. These results highlight a negative relationship between alexithymia and both the use of effective coping strategies and the levels of perceived social support in FM patients. An adequate assessment of both alexithymia and psychological distress should therefore be included in clinical practice with these patients.     

Self-efficacy conception of anxiety

Abstract

In social cognitive theory, perceived self-efficacy to exercise control over potential threats plays a central role in anxiety arousal. Threat is a relational property reflecting the match between perceived coping capabilities and potentially hurtful aspects of the environment. People who believe they can exercise control over potential threats do not engage in apprehensive thinking and are not perturbed by them. But those who believe they cannot manage threatening events that might occur experience high levels of anxiety arousal. Experimental analyses of the microrelation between perceived self-efficacy and anxiety arousal reveal that perceived coping inefficacy is accompanied by high levels of subjective distress, autonomic arousal and catecholamine secretion. Environmental events are not always completely under personal control and most human activities contain some potential risks. The exercise of control over anxiety arousal, therefore, requires not only development of behavioral coping efficacy but also efficacy in controlling dysfunctional apprehensive cognitions. It is not frightful cognitions per se but the perceived self-inefficacy to turn them off that is the major source of anxiety arousal. Analyses of the causal structure of self-protective behavior show that anxiety arousal and avoidant behavior are mainly co-effects of perceived coping inefficacy.     

Regulation strategies during COVID-19 quarantine: The mediating effect of worry on the links between coping strategies and anxiety

IntroductionThe COVID-19 outbreak forced Italian citizens into a generalized quarantine from March to May 2020. The quarantine is a successful measure to reduce the virus's spread through physical and social distancing, but it can also have negative psychological consequences on the population. People experience high levels of worry and anxiety and have to cope with the consequences of the health emergency. The aim of this study was to preliminarily assess the causal relations among coping, worry and state anxiety at the time of COVID-19 first wave, and the mediation role of worry between coping and state anxiety.MethodsDuring March 2020, 1273 Italian citizens completed an ad hoc online survey composed of sociodemographic and preoccupation-related questions, and standardized self-report questionnaire (Brief COPE, Penn State Worry Questionnaire and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State form). Three separate mediation models were performed.ResultsThe relationship between coping strategies (i.e.: problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping and dysfunctional coping) and state anxiety resulted to be mediated by worry. Dysfunctional and problem-focused coping had a negative effect on anxiety scores and this effect was amplified by high levels of worry. Emotion-focused coping reduced state anxiety scores through its effect on reducing the levels of worry, which in turn was related to a reduction in anxiety.ConclusionThe present study offers first evidence for the mediation role of worry in the relation between coping and anxiety during quarantine caused by COVID-19 pandemic. It supports the clinical importance of investigating people's coping strategies along with the levels of (cognitive) worry and their long-term effects on the psychological well-being during the outbreak, in order to deliver adequate personalized interventions. Psychological support should enhance emotion-focused coping strategies that have a protective effect on both worry and anxiety.     

Coping strategies: A prospective study of patterns,stability, and relationships with psychological distress

The aims of this article are: (1) to explore patterns (clusters) of coping strategies; (2) to examine the stability of individual coping strategies and patterns of coping over time; and (3) to establish long term associations between coping and psychological distress. Coping strategies were assessed with the Brief Cope questionnaire, whereas psychological distress was measured with the ten‐item version of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist, in a two‐year prospective sample comprising 3,738 employees. Based on TwoStep cluster analysis of the Brief Cope, three different coping patterns were identified: low coping, engagement coping, and disengagement coping. Analyses of long‐term stability indicated malleable properties for the individual coping strategies as well as the three clusters. Disengagement coping strategies in the form of self‐blame and self‐distraction were most strongly associated with distress at follow‐up, whereas baseline distress was related to increased use of these strategies two years later. Coping patterns at baseline had no main effects on later levels of distress, but levels of distress at baseline predicted subsequent use of engagement and disengagement coping patterns. The finding that specific coping strategies are malleable suggests that it is possible to modify and develop dysfunctional strategies. The associations between disengagement coping strategies and distress indicate that this kind of coping is especially problematic with regard to mental health problems. A main contribution of this study is that it establishes cluster analytic techniques as beneficial in the assessment of coping.     

Self‐help strategies to reduce emotional distress: What do people do and why? A qualitative study

Background: Some people with psychological distress do not seek professional help but opt instead for self‐help strategies to reduce their symptoms. Little is known about these strategies. Aim: To investigate which self‐help approaches might be employed to reduce the effects of emotional distress, and the reasons for these choices. Method: Semi‐structured interviews with 11 clerical employees generated data analysed using grounded theory. Findings: Managing distress is a complex and multi‐dimensional process unique to each individual. The use of self‐help options is determined by the interconnection between the person's core beliefs, their social networks, and ideas about coping. Such beliefs may hinder help‐seeking. People tend to engage in activities that are familiar to them already, rather than attempt new ones. The purpose of self‐help strategies is to distract the person from their problems and to contribute to physical and mental well‐being. Implications for practice are discussed.     

Efficacy and social support as predictors of parenting stress among families in poverty

Using a sample of low‐income mothers enrolled in Early Head Start (n = 65), this study tested the hypothesis that parenting stress is affected by social support and self‐efficacy, in addition to family risk status and family income. Specifically, it was proposed that social support and self‐efficacy are psychological resources that are associated with lower parenting stress levels, and would moderate the impact of family income on parenting stress. A significant proportion of variance in parenting stress was explained by self‐efficacy, family risk, and the interaction of self‐efficacy and family income; family income alone was not a significant predictor of parenting stress levels. Mothers higher in self‐efficacy had lower levels of parenting stress, and income was less associated with parenting stress levels for mothers high in self‐efficacy. Social support was not associated with lower parenting stress levels, nor did social support moderate the effect of income on parenting stress. Family risk was also a strong and reliable predictor of parenting stress, suggesting that family circumstances are perhaps better predictors of parenting stress levels than income alone. These findings suggest that parenting stress among low‐income parents should be viewed as a function of psychological, as well as financial, resources.     

Child–Mother Attachment Security and Child Characteristics as Joint Contributors to Young Children's Coping in a Challenging Situation

Moderate challenges provide opportunities for young children to develop coping skills, yet little is known about factors related to individual differences in early coping. This study investigated child–mother attachment security (9‐point rating) assessed via a modified Strange Situation procedure, child expressive language, and child social fearfulness as contributors to coping responses among 33‐month‐old children (N = 128, 66 girls) following receipt of an empty gift box. Associations between child–mother attachment security and child coping were moderated by child characteristics. As hypothesized, greater attachment security was associated with more action towards the stressor (i.e. vocalizing about the empty box and searching for the missing gift), but only for children high on social fearfulness. Further, greater attachment security was associated with seeking more physical proximity to mothers for children low on expressive language and less physical proximity for children high on expressive language. Lastly, greater attachment security was related to more self‐distraction for children with moderate to high expressive language. Results are discussed in terms of child–mother attachment security as a psychological resource constructed over time, which the child may draw upon when confronted with a moderate non‐attachment‐related stressor. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.