“Make me great again” – Vicarious exclusion and coping strategies in the loss of the 2024 U.S. presidential election

The current study examined the association between approach and avoidance coping strategies and psychological stress during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Participants were 62 adults who were recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Data collection lasted for 29 d in May 2020. Multilevel modeling revealed no significant association between approach coping strategies and psychological stress among individuals, and engaging in approach coping more than the usual days was also not associated with lower stress. Regarding avoidance coping strategies, they were positively associated with psychological stress among individuals, and when individuals engaged in avoidance coping more than usual, those individuals were more likely to experience psychological stress. Interestingly, the strength of the association between approach coping strategies and psychological stress was dependent on the levels of psychological stress, where the strength became weaker as the level of stress increased. Similarly, the strength of the association between avoidance coping and stress was also dependent on stress at the beginning of the study, where the strength of the association became stronger as the level of stress increased. Current results raise the importance of being mindful of an individual’s psychological stress as the effectiveness of coping strategies may differ based on one’s level of stress.

Affecting coping: Does neurocognition predict approach and avoidant coping strategies within schizophrenia spectrum disorders?

BackgroundThe more rapid adoption of the Internet in education settings has raised concerns about its impact on adolescents who may suffer from cyberbullying victimization. As a negative life experience, cyberbullying victimization can adversely affect adolescents’ mental health. Particularly, it can lead to more adolescents developing depression. Based on this, we developed and tested a moderated mediation model to examine whether approach and avoidance coping strategies mediate the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and depression, and whether this mediating process was moderated by face consciousness.MethodThis study used a cross-sectional survey design with a sample of 1,586 middle school students from northwestern China, including 782 females (mean age 13.76 ± 1.03 years; age range 12–16). Participants completed an anonymous paper-and-pencil survey that assessed their experiences with cyberbullying victimization, approach and avoidance coping strategies, face consciousness, and depressive symptoms.ResultThe findings revealed that cyberbullying victimization (Beta = 0.37, SE = 0.02, p < 0.001) was significantly positively correlated with depression in adolescents. The avoidance coping strategies (Effect = 0.16, p < 0.001), rather than approach coping strategies, mediate the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and depression. Additionally, face consciousness (Beta = 0.05, t = 2.28, p = 0.009) moderated the mediation: as face consciousness increased, the impact of avoidance coping strategies on depression became stronger.ConclusionThese findings provide valuable insights into how and when cyberbullying affects adolescent depression, offering potential guidance for prevention and intervention strategies aimed at reducing the impact of cyberbullying on depressive symptoms in this vulnerable population.

The primary purpose of this experiment was to test the extent to which highly skilled table tennis players used coping strategies that were consistent with their coping style, both of which were categorized as approach and avoidance, in response to performance-related sources of acute stress on a table tennis task. Competitive Australian male table tennis competitors ( N = 36), ages 19 to 35 years, attempted to strike a table tennis ball projected automatically by a machine from across the table. The primary results indicated significant correlations between the athletes' approach and avoidance coping styles and their respective use of coping strategies ( p <0.001) and that approach coping strategy was markedly related to increased negative affect ( p <0.001). An approach coping style was a significant predictor of performance on the first block of 20 trials, whereas a combination of positive affect, avoidance coping strategies, and negative affect best predicted performance on the second block of 30 trials. Taken together, the results suggested that approach and avoidance coping appears to be a valid conceptual framework for future study of the coping process in sport. Implications of this study for improving coping effectiveness are discussed.

Media use can be beneficial in many ways, but little is known about how it might improve wellbeing outcomes following a traumatic natural disaster. Survivors (n= 491) of deadly Hurricane Michael, which struck the Florida (USA) coastline in 2018, completed an online survey, reporting indicators of post-traumatic growth (PTG) and stress (PTSS). A serial mediation model explored how hurricane-related stressors were related to both outcomes, as mediated by approach, avoidant, and support-seeking coping strategies and post-hurricane hedonic, eudaimonic, and self-transcendent media use as coping tools. Factors contributing to each type of post-hurricane media use were also explored. Results indicate that hurricane-related stressors were associated with PTG, serially mediated through approach coping strategies and self-transcendent media use, thus providing some of the first empirical evidence of the longer-term, beneficial wellbeing effects of media use on survivors of trauma. Additionally, hurricane-related stressors were associated with avoidant coping strategies, which were associated with increased eudaimonic media use. However, hedonic and eudaimonic media use were not associated with PTSS or PTG. Finally, factors known to be associated with media use were not predictive of post-hurricane media use, perhaps suggesting that media play a different role in survivors' lives in the months following a traumatic event.

The study aimed to investigate the relationship between resilience and well-being of college students during the Covid-19 pandemic and to determine the moderating role of coping strategies in this relationship. Resilience was defined based on the concept of Connor and Davidson (2003), who defined it as an individual characteristic that allows an individual to thrive in the face of adversity, coping strategies were categorized into approach or avoidant coping strategies as measured by COPE Brief, and well-being was conceptualized based on Warwick-Edinburgh's concept of mental well-being. It included 243 college students enrolled in one of the 12 online social science courses in one college in Metro Manila who were administered through online platform the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, Brief COPE, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), and Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Life of Higher Education Students Questionnaire. Results showed a significant relationship between resilience and well-being. Approach coping strategy also showed significant positive relationships with the three criterion variables: academic, social, and mental well-being, indicating that the more a student employs approach coping strategy, the better is his or her academic, social, and mental well-being. On the other hand, the Avoidant coping strategy was negatively associated with academic-related emotions, showing that the less the use of the Avoidant coping approach, the more positive are the academic-related emotions felt by students during online classes. However, both coping strategies failed to moderate the relationship between resilience and well-being. It is recommended that schools implement programs and services that will train students on how to cope during pandemic.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between resilience and suicidal ideation, with coping strategies regarded as a mediator. A total of 422 Hong Kong undergraduate students were recruited with convenience sampling. Simple linear regression was used to verify the negative relationship between resilience and suicidal ideation (P<0.001). The results revealed that two out of four tested mediation models were accepted, with the coping strategies of approach and reappraisal acting as mediators (P<0.001); the other two models were rejected when the coping strategies of emotional regulation and avoidance were the mediators. Regression analysis was performed to explore the effectiveness in reducing suicidal ideation in terms of the reappraisal coping strategy and the approach coping strategy, and the results indicated that the reappraisal coping strategy had greater effects than the approach coping strategy. Overall, the results of this study confirmed previous findings in the literature that resilience can alleviate the degree of suicidal ideation. Additionally, these results suggest further implications that adopting the approach and reappraisal coping strategies might make significant contributions to reducing the number of suicidal cases in society.

The purpose of this study was to examine approach and avoidance coping strategies in the context of a natural disaster as antecedents of justice and organizational citizenship behavior. Using a multi-focal perspective of social exchange theory, the study uses both reciprocity and rationality to enhance the theoretical underpinnings of behavior in a justice context. Survey data was collected from full-time employees who had experienced a hurricane three weeks earlier (n = 255). The differences between approach and avoidance coping are clear in the results suggesting that coping strategy helps account for individual differences in justice perceptions. Findings demonstrated that employees who use approach coping strategies had higher perceptions of justice and higher levels of organizational citizenship behavior while employees who use avoidance coping strategies had lower perceptions of justice and lower levels of organizational citizenship behavior. This has implications for employers who could introduce coping skills training as a practical means of assisting employees in a disaster situation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to an increase in psychological distress. However, protective factors such as social support, psychological flexibility, and coping mechanisms can help individuals cope with the effects of psychological distress. This study aimed to test a recent hypothesis suggesting that psychological flexibility is not necessarily a coping strategy but a mechanism that can influence the coping strategies an individual employs during stressful events. We tested a mediation model that COVID-19 concerns would contribute to higher levels of perceived social support, which would directly increase psychological flexibility, and finally test if the effect of psychological flexibility on distress was mediated by approach and avoidant coping strategies. The results show that social support facilitates higher levels of psychological flexibility. Further, that psychological flexibility indirectly reduces psychological distress by reducing avoidant coping and increasing approach coping strategies. Within the context of COVID-19, we have shown the importance of social support and psychological flexibility for reducing distress. We have provided further evidence that psychological flexibility might not be a coping mechanism but a strategy that leads individuals to engage in more approach coping strategies and fewer avoidant coping strategies.

Coping with child sexual abuse among college students and post-traumatic stress disorder: The role of continuity of abuse and relationship with the perpetrator

A leur corps defendant: Les abus sexuels envers les enfants—information, prevention, 1989, 2nd ed.: Jacqualine Rutgers. Pro Juventute, Zurich, Switzerland, 1990. 84 pp. Paperback. FS 14.80

BackgroundPsycho-oncology literature pointed out that individual health outcomes may depend on patients’ propensity to adopt approach or, conversely, avoidant coping strategies. Nevertheless, coping factors associated with postoperative distress remain unclear, unfolding the lack of tailored procedures to help breast cancer patients manage the psychological burden of scheduled surgery. In view of this, the present study aimed at investigating: 1. pre-/post-surgery distress variations occurring among women diagnosed with breast cancer; 2. the predictivity of approach and avoidant coping strategies and factors in affecting post-surgery perceived distress.MethodsN = 150 patients (mean age = 59.37; SD = ± 13.23) scheduled for breast cancer surgery were administered a screening protocol consisting of the Distress Thermometer (DT) and the Brief-COPE. The DT was used to monitor patients’ distress levels before and after surgery (± 7 days), whereas the Brief-COPE was adopted only preoperatively to evaluate patients’ coping responses to the forthcoming surgical intervention. Non-parametric tests allowed for the detection of pre-/post-surgery variations in patients’ perceived distress. Factor analysis involved the extraction and rotation of principal components derived from the Brief-COPE strategies. The predictivity of such coping factors was investigated through multiple regression (Backward Elimination).ResultsThe Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test yielded a significant variation in DT mean scores (TW = -5,68 < -zα/2 = -1,96; p < .001) indicative of lower perceived distress following surgery. The four coping factors extracted and Varimax-rotated were, respectively: 1. cognitive processing (i.e., planning + acceptance + active coping + positive reframing); 2. support provision (i.e., instrumental + emotional support); 3. emotion-oriented detachment (i.e., self-blame + behavioral disengagement + humor + denial); 4. goal-oriented detachment (i.e., self-distraction). Among these factors, support provision (B = .458; β = − .174; t = − 2.03; p = .045), encompassing two approach coping strategies, and goal-oriented detachment (B = .446; β = − .176; t = − 2.06; p = .042), consisting of one avoidant strategy, were strongly related to post-surgery distress reduction.ConclusionThe present investigation revealed that the pre-surgery adoption of supportive and goal-oriented strategies led to postoperative distress reduction among breast cancer patients. These findings highlight the importance of timely psychosocial screening and proactive interventions in order to improve patients’ recovery and prognosis.

Objectives:To assess the emotional responses and coping strategies of medical students during the lockdown and social distancing measures implemented during the coronavirus disease -19 (COVID-19) pandemic.Methods:This cross‑sectional study is based on data collected from undergraduate medical students at the College of Medicine, Alfaisal University Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the fall semester of academic year 2020-2021. All the participants completed a self-administered online questionnaire consisting of 3 parts: demographic information, emotional response scale, and 14-item, adapted brief coping orientation to problems experienced inventory to determine the use of avoidant or approach coping strategies. Coping and emotional response scores were compared using t-test. Linear regression analysis was also performed.Results:A total of 261 students from all years were included. Overall scores were higher for avoidant coping strategies. The use of avoidant coping strategies was significantly higher in females (p=0.03) and in preclinical students (p<0.001). Preclinical students had a higher mean score for anger (p=0.002). Conversely, students in the clinical phase had higher scores for anxiety (p=0.005) and sadness (p=0.027). The regression analysis of emotional responses and coping strategies suggests that avoidant coping is a predictor of anger (p=0.003) and sadness (p=0.005).Conclusion:Interventions to train medical students in the use of more productive and effective coping strategies may reduce negative emotional responses linked to the present COVID-19 pandemic and in the future.

Few studies have concurrently examined how different types of stressors influence university students' well-being through their use of coping strategies. Exploring such effects should enrich our understanding of how individuals develop strategies for coping with specific stressful situations and provide insights into the mechanisms by which different stressors impact students' well-being in higher education contexts. This study investigated the effects of social mistreatment, academic alienation, and developmental challenge on emotional and psychological well-being via approach and avoidance coping strategies. The participants were 293 university students in Hong Kong (mean age = 21 years). We collected three waves of data through longitudinal student self-reports and analysed them using structural equation modelling. Social mistreatment can lead to greater use of avoidance coping. Academic alienation can lead not only to a greater reliance on avoidance coping but also less use of approach coping. Developmental challenge can increase the use of approach coping. The effects of social mistreatment on emotional and psychological well-being were mediated by the use of avoidance coping strategies. Moreover, the effects of academic alienation on emotional and psychological well-being were mediated by the use of approach and avoidance coping strategies. The results of this longitudinal study indicate the need to improve teaching practices or learning environments to reduce interpersonal and academic stressors due to their negative impact on coping and well-being. The results also have implications for helping students to adopt better coping strategies and promote their well-being.

Literature has documented personality and coping strategies as valuable intrapersonal resources for cancer adjustment among Caucasians. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether these personal characteristics operate in a similar manner among cancer patients of different ages and cultural backgrounds. This study examined the association between personality traits and affects, their underlying mechanism (i.e. coping strategies) and how these relations differed by age among Chinese cancer survivors, an understudied population. A sample of 234 Chinese cancer survivors in Beijing, China completed the five factor inventory, affect balance scale, ways of coping checklist and medical and demographic information. The results indicated that neuroticism was associated with negative affect, which was explained by avoidance coping strategies. Extraversion and neuroticism were associated with positive affect, and these associations were explained by approach coping strategies. Conditional process (i.e. moderated mediation) analyses demonstrated that conscientiousness was more strongly related to positive affect directly and indirectly through approach coping strategies among older survivors than among younger survivors. The findings highlight the importance of personality traits for emotional adjustment to breast cancer and the critical role of approach coping strategies in explaining the linkage of personality to positive affect for survivors of different age.