Learned Resourcefulness and Situation-Specific Coping with Stress

This study examined whether individuals who report a broad repertoire of coping skills vary their coping efforts as a function of situational factors. Three weeks prior to their midterm exam, 80 graduate students completed Rosenbaum's (1980b) Self-Control Schedule, which assessed subjects' learned resourcefulness. High (HR) and low (LR) resourcefulness groups were created by using the upper and lower thirds of the distribution. On the day of the exam and a week later, prior to receiving results, subjects completed the Strain Questionnaire (Lefebvre & Sandford, 1985), Ways of Coping Checklist (Folkman & Lazarus, 1985), and other self-report measures. Results showed that HR subjects significantly reduced their problem-focused coping efforts from preparation week to waiting week, whereas LR subjects did not. In contrast, LR individuals reported significantly more wishful thinking, distancing, tension reduction, keeping to self, and self-blame during waiting week. For both measurement weeks, HR individuals reported significantly less stress symptoms than LR subjects.