Coping style use predicts posttraumatic stress and complicated grief symptom severity among college students reporting a traumatic loss.

Abstract

Problem-focused coping, and active and avoidant emotional coping were examined as correlates of grief and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity among 123 college students reporting the unexpected death of an immediate family member, romantic partner, or very close friend. The authors administered to participants, via the Internet, 5 survey instruments that measured demographic characteristics, traumatic event exposure (Stressful Life Events Screening Questionnaire; L. Goodman, C. Corcoran, K. Turner, N. Yuan, & B. L. Green, 1998), complicated grief (CG) severity (Inventory of Complicated Grief-Revised-Short Form; A. E. Latham & H. G. Prigerson, 2004; H. G. Prigerson & S. C. Jacobs, 2001), PTSD severity (PTSD Checklist; F. W. Weathers, B. T. Litz, D. S. Herman, J. A. Huska, & T. M. Keane, 1993), and coping style use (Brief COPE; C. S. Carver, 1997). Results demonstrated that CG and PTSD severity were both significantly positively correlated with problem-focused, and active and avoidant emotional coping styles. The authors used path analysis to control for time since the loss and trauma frequency and found that only avoidant emotional coping remained significant in predicting CG and PTSD severity. Results are discussed in terms of their clinical implications for treating individuals with traumatic losses.