Coping style and self‐reported health promotion and disease detection behaviour

Abstract

Objectives. In the present study we investigate the relevance of the monitoring‐blunting concept to the realm of health behaviour, and to health promotion and disease detection behaviour in particular. Design. The study is correlational in character, supplemented with some qualitative data. Methods. Sixty participants of varying sex, age and educational level filled out the Threatening Medical Situations Inventory, measuring the monitoring and blunting coping style, and the newly developed Health Promotion‐Detection Questionnaire, intended to measure the tendencies to exhibit health promotion and disease detection behaviours. In addition, they answered a few open questions concerning their health. Results. It emerged that disease detection behaviour is positively related to age, and it is more often carried out for health reasons than health promotion behaviour. The monitoring coping style is significantly, though modestly, related to both health promotion and disease detection. The latter relation still holds when we controlled for age and gender. No relations with blunting were found, except for individual health behaviours. Conclusion. The results of the present study encourage further investigation of the role of coping styles in the performance of different types of health behaviours. Hereby, the further distinction between health strivings of the approach and the avoidance type may prove useful.