Abstract
Objective: This study investigated the influences of coping styles on posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among healthy college students who were exposed to traumatic events. Methods: The total sample was composed of 99 Brazilian college students, but only 37 participants fulfilled DSM-IV criterion A for PTSD diagnosis. The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist – Civilian Version (PCL-C) and the Brief COPE were used to assess the participants’ PTSS and use of coping styles, respectively. Correlation analysis and subsequent regressions were conducted between coping strategies and PTSS through traditional and Bayesian approaches. Results: Bayesian and frequentist correlations showed that emotion-focused and problem-focused coping styles were associated with reduced PTSS, while dysfunctional coping style was positively related to PTSS severity. In the subsequent linear regression, the best model predicting PTSS severity was composed by emotion-focused coping and dysfunctional coping, with the former predicting less symptoms and latter predicting more symptoms. However, in the Bayesian regression approach the dysfunctional coping cluster was the most robust in predicting posttraumatic stress symptoms severity. Conclusions: reduced use of adaptive coping (emotion-focused) and more use of dysfunctional coping styles are related to higher PTSS. According to the Bayesian approach, which permits more generalization of data, dysfunctional coping style is determinant in the prediction of high levels of PTSS. Considering the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) continuum, the present findings add new data to the body of research that highlight the critical role of distinct coping strategies in the severity of PTSS. The comprehension of which coping strategies are used and their outcome can enhance the effectiveness of therapeutic approaches in this mental disorder
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