Risk and Resistance Factors for Psychological Distress in Icelandic Parents of Chronically Ill Children: An Application of Wallander and Varni’s Disability-Stress-Coping Model

The purpose of the study was to investigate Wallander and Varni’s (1998) disability-stress coping model in a sample of 105 Icelandic parents of chronically ill children. The Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS), the Attributional Scale (AS), the Defence Style Questionnaire (DSQ), the Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC), the World Assumption scale (WAS), The Coping Style Questionnaire (CSQ), The Impact on Family scale (IFS), the Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC), and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), were completed by the parents of children with various diseases. Despite the heterogeneity of the sample in terms of disease type, PTSD was present in 13.2% of the parents and an additional 28.6% had subclinical PTSD. Emotional coping, extent of daily care, time since diagnosis, and changes in employment due to the disease explained 71% of the variance in HTQ total score.     

Personality, cognitive coping strategies, and adaptational outcomes in a sample from the general Spanish population

The relationship among scores on two personality dimensions, Emotional Stability and Extraversion, and on two cognitive coping strategies, Positive Thinking and Wishful Thinking, and on the Consequences of Coping scale were examined in 169 Spanish persons (78 men and 91 women; Mage = 36.3 yr., SD = 12.1). Positive Thinking was associated with high scores on the two personality dimensions and positive consequences, whereas Wishful Thinking was associated with low scores on both Emotional Stability and Extraversion and with negative consequences.     

Turkish validation of the Emotional Approach Coping Scale

The Emotional Approach Coping Scale is frequently used to assess coping, which consists of emotional processing and emotional expression. The present aim was to examine the psychometric properties of this scale by utilizing two independent samples: university students (n = 481) and community members (n = 284). Based on goodness-of-fit indices in confirmatory factor analysis, a two-factor model yielded significant findings in these samples. The results of multi-group analysis revealed that the theoretical structure of the dispositional Emotional Approach Coping Scale was the same for men and women. In addition to sufficient internal consistency and test-retest reliability, the relationships between the Emotional Approach Coping Scale and five conceptually related measures (coping styles, positive affect, negative affect, depression, and trait anxiety) demonstrated concurrent validity. Furthermore, the present study provides a map of emotional approach coping styles in a non-Western culture.     

Self-handicapping tendencies,coping, and anxiety responses among athletes

Objectives: Four studies examined relationships between self-handicapping tendencies and reactions to two different yet potentially stressful sport situations (i.e., dealing with a performance slump and emotional reaction prior to competition).Design: Retrospective and prospective cross-sectional survey.Methods: For studies 1 and 2, participants were 65 male athletes (mean age=20.45) and 141 male and female athletes (mean age=21.5), respectively. Participants in study 1 completed the Self-handicapping Scale (SHS) and slump-related coping was assessed using the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS). Participants in study 2 completed the SHS and slump-related coping was assessed using the modified Ways of Coping in Sport Scale (WCSS). For studies 3 and 4, participants were 220 male athletes (mean age=22.60) and 120 male and female athletes (mean age=34.75), respectively. Participants from both studies completed the SHS and emotions prior to competition were assessed using the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory (CSAI-2).Results: Data from study 1 showed that self-handicapping tendencies were related to emotive-oriented coping. CISS emotion scale scores accounted for 25% of the variance in SHS scores. Data from study 2 showed that self-handicapping tendencies were related to denial/avoidance and wishful thinking subscale scores of the WCSS. Together these two variables accounted for 11% of the variance in SHS scores. Data from studies 3 and 4 showed positive relations between self-handicapping tendencies and cognitive state-anxiety. Cognitive state-anxiety accounted for 8% of the variance in SHS scores in study 3 and 12% of the variance in SHS scores in study 4.Conclusions: Results from studies 1 and 2 demonstrate that self-handicapping tendencies are related to general and specific emotion coping strategies when dealing with a slump. Results from studies 3 and 4 show that self-handicapping tendencies are related to precompetitive cognitive state-anxiety.     

Religious coping,drinking motivation,and sex

The relations for religious coping with types of drinking motivation were examined in 178 college students. Participants completed the Ways of Religious Coping Scale and the Drinking Motives Questionnaire. As expected, correlations suggested that amount of alcohol used as well as social and enhancement motives for using were negatively related to religious coping scores. These relations were more clearly evident among women than among men. Coping motivation for alcohol use and religious coping were not significantly correlated.     

Parent coping styles and schizophrenic patient behavior as predictors of expressed emotion

Several studies have examined relationships between levels of expressed emotion in relatives of individuals with schizophrenia and the coping strategies these relatives employ. In an attempt to elucidate these relationships, 44 parents were assessed using the Camberwell Family Interview and the Strategic Approach to Coping Scale. Associations between these measures were examined. Additionally, interactions between parent coping style and patient aggression were assessed with respect to expressed emotion. The results indicate that scores on the coping scale generally were not directly related to levels of expressed emotion. However, an interaction was found between parent coping style and patient behavior which predicted level of expressed emotion. This finding supports the idea that research into the variables underlying expressed emotion should include the assessment of both parent and patient characteristics and examine the interactions between these variables.     

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.     

Sense of humour and coping styles

This paper reports an investigation on the relationship between sense of humour and coping styles. Svebak's (1974) Sense of Humour Questionnaire (containing three scales for each of his dimensions of the sense of humour) and Lefcourt and Martin's (1986) Situational Humor Response Questionnaire and Coping Humor Scale served as measures of humour, while Plutschik's (1981) Scale for the Measurement of Coping Styles served to assess eight coping styles. A relationship was found between humour and coping for men and women with regard to Minimization and Suppression, and to a smaller extent for Blame, Mapping and Reversal. The relationship was in opposite directions for men and women with regard to Suppression and Replacement. Most humour scales correlated negatively with age for men, and positively for women. Five coping styles correlated negatively with age for men: Suppression, Seeking Succorance, Replacement, Blame and Substitution, the other three positively. For women, however, only two coping styles correlated negatively with age: Suppression and Seeking Succorance, the other six correlated positively. As in other studies on coping, sex proved to be a major moderating variable.     

Social support mediating between coping by emotional expression and depression

The present purpose was to investigate the effects of social support on the relationship between coping by expressing emotions and depression in women. Japanese undergraduate students (N = 218) completed four self-report questionnaires: the dispositional and situational versions of the Emotional Coping Questionnaire which measures the mode of expression as being either to self as in a diary or to others as in telling a friend, the Social Support Scale to evaluate received support, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale. Analysis showed that expression of emotions to self in both dispositional and situational coping had significant positive correlations with depression, especially for women who scored high on depression, and expression of emotions to others in both dispositional and situational coping were significantly positively correlated with social support. However, no significant mediation effects of social support in emotional expression and depression were found. Limitations and topics for research are discussed.     

《青少年心理健康素质调查表》应对分量表的编制

在应激和应对理论的基础上,确定了应对风格的理论模型,依此编制了青少年应对风格分量表。因素分析结果显示该量表由8个因子构成：注重问题情境的应对策略,注重情绪表达的应对策略,理智—合理化策略,针对情绪的身体策略,否认—压抑策略,躲避和求助策略,独自宣泄、忍耐和顺从策略和针对情绪的行为策略。青少年应对风格分量表具有比较理想的心理测量学特征,可以作为测评中国青少年应对风格的测量工具。     

Approach and avoidance coping responses among older problem and nonproblem drinkers

The Coping Responses Inventory (CRI) was used to study coping among older problem and nonproblem drinkers. The CRI organizes coping efforts according to their focus (approach or avoidance) and method (cognitive or behavioral). Compared with nonproblem drinkers, older problem drinkers were more likely to use cognitive and behavioral avoidance responses to manage life stressors. Problem drinkers who experienced more negative life events and more severe stressors used both more approach and more avoidance coping. Those who had more financial and social resources relied more on approach and less on avoidance coping. Problem drinkers who relied more on avoidance coping tended to have more drinking problems and to report more depression and physical symptoms and less self-confidence. Positive reappraisal was associated with less depression and more self-confidence.     

Coping strategies questionnaire (CSQ): Reliability of the swedish version of the CSQ

Abstract

We present a study with the aim of investigating the internal consistency and reliability of a Swedish version of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ). The study group consisted of 282 subjects suffering from long term back pain. Internal consistency was investigated by calculating alpha coefficients and test-retest reliability was investigated by a correlation analysis with two different test-retest intervals. The results reveal that the internal consistency of the Swedish CSQ is high (alpha range between 0.7 and 0.8) and consistent with the American version. The test-retest reliability was not equally satisfactory (correlation ranged between 0.4 and 0.9) but the results support the usefulness of the CSQ as a tool in the clinical assessment of pain coping strategies. The test-retest result indicate the need for further research. In conclusion, the results from the present study are encouraging and support the usefulness of the instrument but to improve the utility and application of the Swedish version of the CSQ further research is warranted.     

Multidimensional assessment of coping: a critical evaluation

Several existing self-report measures of coping and the relevant research using these instruments are reviewed. Many of these coping measures suffer from a variety of psychometric weaknesses. A self-report instrument, the Multidimensional Coping Inventory (MCI), was constructed that identifies 3 types of coping styles: task-oriented, emotion-oriented, and avoidance-oriented coping. Support for the multidimensional nature of the MCI is presented, along with support for the reliability of the MCI coping scales. Two studies are presented that assessed the validity of the MCI. The 1st study assessed the construct validity of the MCI by comparing it with the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. The 2nd study also assessed the criterion validity of the MCI by comparing it with measures of depression, anxiety, Type A behaviour, neuroticism, and extraversion. Overall, the results suggest that the MCI is a valid and highly reliable multidimensional measure of coping styles.     

The development of the multidimensional locus of pain control questionnaire (MLPC): Factor structure,reliability, and validity

This study was conducted to develop a comprehensive Multidimensional Locus of Pain Control questionnaire (MLPC) and to examine how locus of pain control is related to pain appraisals, pain coping strategies, and adjustment to chronic pain. Subjects were 170 chronic headache patients. By means of factor analysis, four subscales were derived: an Internal, a Chance, a Physician, and a Medication locus of pain control orientation scale. The reliability and validity of the subscales appeared to be satisfactory. The results of the present study indicate that the locus of pain control orientation is significantly related to pain appraisals such as perceived pain control and catastrophizing and, to a lesser degree, to coping strategies as measured by the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ). However, almost no relationship was observed between locus of pain control and adjustment to pain. Further research with the MLPC in different chronic pain populations is warranted in order to investigate whether the results found in this study can be generalized to chronic pain patients in general.     

Measuring coping flexibility

Abstract

The present study examined coping flexibility and correlates of this style of approaching stressful situations. Two methods for assessing coping flexibility, the Flex (Schwartz and Daltroy, 1991) and a modification of the Ways of Coping Checklist (Folkman and Lazarus. 1980) were administered to 28 men and 32 women, who were also asked questions about their age, gender, style of impression management (self-monitoring and social desirability), and basic personality variables from the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (Tellegen. 1982). Subjects responded to four common scenarios described by a 2 (social/nonsocial) × 2 (minor/major) matrix. Gender differences were not found for the Flex, but men exhibited more flexibility than did women when determined by the WOC range score. Older subjects exhibited smaller ranges on both the Flex and the WOC, suggesting that they were less flexible in coping than were younger subjects. Correlations with the Self-Monitoring scale approached significance for the Flex and were significant for the WOC. Greater flexibility was associated with greater well-being and achievement and negatively correlated with stress reactions and alienation.     

Positive and negative affect, life satisfaction, and coping with stress by attachment styles in Turkish students

The purpose was to investigate positive and negative affect, life satisfaction, and coping with stress in relation to attachment styles. Undergraduate students (N=421) completed the Relationship Scales Questionnaire, the Positive and Negative Affect Scale, the Satisfaction With Life Scale, and the Coping with Stress Scale. Results indicated that secure attachment style was the unique predictor of positive affect while fearful and preoccupied attachment styles significantly predicted negative affect. Regarding life satisfaction, a positive correlation with secure attachment style and a negative correlation with fearful and preoccupied styles were seen. However, the unique predictor of life satisfaction was preoccupied attachment style. In terms of coping with stress, there was no significant association between attachment variables and avoidance coping style, but significant links were observed between problem-focused coping and dismissing, and fearful and preoccupied attachment styles.     

The dimensionality of coping among Chinese health care workers

The transactional model defines coping as a process that changes on the basis of the context of an environmental encounter. An instrument used to investigate coping in diverse person-environment interactions is the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WOC; S. Folkman & R. S. Lazarus, 1988). Although evidence exists to support the basic underlying structure of the WOC in Western societies, no research has been conducted on the instrument's dimensionality in non-Western societies. The authors identified 14 factors for the WOC administered to a sample of health care workers in Beijing, China. The 14 factors identified in the present study were similar to the 8 factors identified in the original validation study (S. Folkman, R. S. Lazarus, C. Dunkel-Schetter, A. DeLongis, & R. J. Gruen, 1986), but they were more content specific.     

Suicidal and deliberate self-harm ideation among patients with physical illness: the role of coping styles

The relationship between coping styles and suicidal ideation (SI) or deliberate self-harm (DSH) ideation among patients with physical illness was examined. Four hundred fifteen adult male medical inpatients completed the Coping Styles Questionnaire. Patients with and without SI, and with and without DSH, were compared on coping styles. Sixteen percent of patients (n = 67) had SI and 18.3% (n = 76) had DSH. SI was associated with higher scores on emotional coping and lower scores on rational and detachment coping styles, compared with those without SI. DSH, compared with those without DSH, was associated with significantly higher scores on avoidance coping strategies. These data suggest coping styles among medical patients with and without SI or DSH may differ. The mechanism of this link is not entirely clear, but it may be that coping styles reflect one possible pathway of the association between poor physical health and SI and DSH. Replication of these results in a longitudinal study is needed. If replicated, incorporation of these data into the development of intervention strategies focused on improving coping strategies may be worthwhile.