Avoidance-oriented Coping Research Articles

Coping with stress and quality of life in women with stress urinary incontinence.

IntroductionUrinary incontinence (UI) involves uncontrolled leakage of urine through the urethra as a result of damage to its sphincter muscle and a disturbed function of the urogenital diaphragm within the pelvis minor. The symptoms of UI radically impair psychological, somatic, and social functioning. The aim of each disease stress coping process is to reduce the impact of harmful agents as well as the acquisition of necessary preventive measures in order to combat the disorder. Aim of the study was to assess the relationship between coping styles used when dealing with stress associated with disease and the quality of life.Material and methodsThe study was carried out at an outpatients’ clinic located in the Lublin Province (eastern Poland), covering 150 women with diagnosed stress urinary incontinence, aged between 32 and 79. The following methods were used: (a) Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (Endler, Parker) to assess coping styles, (b) CASP-19 scale (Higgins, Hyde, Wiggins, Blade) to measure the overall quality of life, and (c) Urinary Incontinence Life Quality Scale (Szymona-Pałkowska, Kraczkowski).ResultsThe preferred style in the studied group of women was Task-Oriented Coping. This style is associated with a low score on the Independence from Symptoms scale and low Control, being simultaneously correlated with Autonomy and Self-Realisation. Emotion-Oriented Coping is associated with low psychological, physical and social well-being, as well as with little independence from the disease symptoms, little pleasure and self-realisation, but it gives a sense of internal control. Avoidance-Oriented Coping does not significantly correlate with any of the Overall Quality of Life dimensions.ConclusionsWomen suffering from UI tend to try to solve their problem by means of cognitive transformation. In their situation, clinging to the problem turns out to be a depressing factor and entails a lower quality of their life.

Value systems and centrality of religiosity as predictors of non-religious and religious coping with stress in early adulthood.

Aim of the studyThe aim of the current study is to investigate whether values and the centrality of religiosity could be good predictors of non-religious and religious coping styles in early adulthood. Although previous research suggests that values and religious dimensions might be related to coping styles, their precise character remains unexplained.Subject or material and methodsResearch participants included 209 people (111 women and 98 men), randomly recruited in southern parts of Poland. Their ages ranged from 20 to 40 years, with a mean age of 28.4 years (SD = 6.44). All participants filled in the four questionnaires: The Scheler Values Scale, The Centrality of Religiosity Scale, The Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, and The Brief RCOPE Scale.ResultsAesthetic, truth, and moral values were positively associated with task-oriented coping, while hedonic and vital values were positively linked to emotion-oriented and avoidance-oriented styles. As regards religious coping styles, vital, aesthetic, truth, and moral values were positively connected to positive coping. Negative coping was positively related to hedonic values, but negatively linked to sacred values. The centrality of religiosity dimensions were positively related to emotion-oriented coping, avoidance-oriented coping, social diversion, and positive religious coping.DiscussionValues and the centrality of religiosity dimensions turned out to be predictors for coping styles. The meanings made on a basis of important values and religious beliefs help individuals better understand the situation and find means of overcoming its negative consequences.ConclusionsValues and religiousness serve as a meaning system that enables individuals to interpret difficult events and effectively cope with distress caused by these events.

Coping and coping assistance among children with sickle cell disease and their parents.

The ways in which a family copes with the physical and psychosocial burdens of sickle cell disease (SCD) can influence the child and family functioning. However, few studies have examined SCD-related stressors beyond pain or how children and parents cope with these stressors. This study aimed to describe child coping and parent attempts to help their children cope (ie, coping assistance) with a range of SCD stressors by using a triangulated mixed methods design. We also explored convergence between findings from qualitative interviews and quantitative coping inventories. Fifteen children (aged 6 to 14 years) with SCD and their parents (N=15) completed semistructured interviews and self-report measures to assess SCD-related stressors, coping, and coping assistance strategies. Findings indicate that children experience numerous stressors related to SCD and its treatment, including, but not limited to, pain. To manage these stressors, families employ a range of approach and avoidance-oriented coping strategies. Quantitative and qualitative assessments provided complementary and unique contributions to understanding coping processes among children with SCD and their parents. Examining a broad range of stressors and integrating multiple assessment methods helps improve our understanding of coping with pediatric SCD, which may inform clinical practice and family-focused intervention development.

Measuring coping style following acquired brain injury: a modification of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations Using Rasch analysis.

The importance of coping style factors in the process of emotional adjustment following acquired brain injury (ABI) has been gaining increased attention. To assess ways of coping with distress accurately, clear conceptual definitions and measurement precision is vital. The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of a well-known measure of coping, the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS), for people who have experienced an ABI; and to modify the CISS, where necessary, to create a more reliable and valid measurement tool for this clinical group. Psychometric properties were investigated using Rasch analysis of responses from a sample of adults with ABI (n = 207). The internal consistency reliability and construct validity of the scale were examined. All originally proposed subscales were not valid or reliable and, as such, were incapable of interval-level measurement within this sample - Task: χ(2) (32, N = 207) = 105.1, p < .001; Emotion: χ(2) (32, N = 204) = 121.9, p < .001; Avoidance: χ(2) (32, N = 207) = 66.7, p < .001. Three valid and reliable subscales were derived measuring emotion-, task-, and avoidance-oriented coping styles by removing items that provided the most unreliable information and exploring fit to the Rasch model. The original version of the CISS may not be a valid and reliable measure of coping style following ABI. Modified subscales of the three distinct coping domains have been proposed that would help to improve measurement of coping style following ABI in future research and clinical practice. How people cope with difficulties following an ABI has been shown to impact upon emotional outcomes and functional recovery. The original version of the CISS was found to be an imprecise measure of coping following ABI. A modified version of the CISS was found to be a valid and reliable measure of three styles of coping (task-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidance-focused) that conforms to the properties of interval-level measurement as represented by the Rasch model. This structure is in keeping with previous theoretical models of coping. We advise caution about including items (1, 6, 7, 22, 24, 28, 29, 33, 34, and 46) that were found to diverge from the expectations of the Rasch measurement model in total subscale scores for measuring change in coping style. A conversion table for the three modified subscales is included in this paper to convert total raw scores into Rasch transformed logit values. Identifying strengths and weaknesses in coping style could be a means of guiding psychological intervention to promote good recovery following ABI. The sample included mainly people who had experienced non-traumatic brain injuries (e.g., a stroke). This research could be extended to include broader sample of people with differing brain injury aetiologies and neurological disorders.

Stress and coping strategies in the emergency room

The main goal of the present study was to examine how levels of perceived stress reported by emergency physicians vary depending on the type of coping style. Seventy physicians working in four emergency departments in Northern Italy were administered two questionnaires measuring perceived levels of work related stress and habitual use of different coping styles. Results show that emergency physicians reported to rely on task-oriented coping more than on emotion-oriented and avoidance-oriented coping. Furthermore, coping styles were significant predictors of perceived stress. Specifically, after controlling for age and gender, task- and avoidance-oriented coping styles were predictors of less work related stress, while emotion-oriented coping was associated with higher levels of stress. The implications are discussed.

The Causes and Consequences of Bad Leadership

This topical issue of the Zeitschrift f r Psychologie focuses on negative forms of leadership, that is, destructive leadership in its different forms, rather than re-emphasizing the still more common focus on positive leadership (Schilling, 2009). Here, the quest is not to find the holy grail of what makes a leader successful and how this contributes to organizational success but rather the opposite: to prevent the damage bad leadership and destructive leaders can do to followers and organizations. In recent years, a quickly growing stream of research concerning the dark side of leadership has emerged (e.g., Bligh, Kohles, Pearce, Justin, & Stovall, 2007; Einarsen, Aasland, & Skogstad, 2007; Krasikova, Green, & LeBreton, 2013; Martinko, Harvey, Brees, & Mackey, 2013; Tepper, 2000, 2007), which underpins the importance of the topic. While different forms of destructive leadership (e.g., abusive supervision, petty tyranny, negative leadership, aversive leadership) can be distinguished, they all have been shown to negatively impact followers and organizations (e.g., Schyns & Schilling, 2013). However, so far, we know relatively little about the antecedents of destructive leadership or how its effect compares to constructive leadership. Hence, the aim of this issue is to deepen our understanding of the phenomenon by paying special attention to its antecedents and the comparison of constructive and destructive forms of leadership. In doing so, the papers compiled here add to the discussion about how to prevent destructive leadership. This topical issue starts off with a review paper by Pundt (2014) who outlines the theory of different ways in which charismatic leadership attempts can lead to abusive leadership perception and/or abusive leadership behavior. The author differentiates between failed charismatic attempts from the leader’s side (overdramatized charisma, overambitious charisma) and failed attempts due to followers’ reactions (refused charisma, disappointed charisma, and abandoned charisma). He argues that overdramatized charisma and overambitious charisma can lead to abusive leadership perceptions, while overambitious charisma, refused charisma, disappointed charisma, and abandoned charisma can lead to abusive leadership behaviors. The paper acknowledges the process character of leadership by incorporating followers’ reactions to leadership behavior and appreciating that this reaction triggers another reaction in the leader, potentially altering leadership perceptions or behaviors. Similarly, May, Wesche, Heinitz, and Kerschreiter (2014) take an integrative view of negative leadership by looking at the interaction process between leaders and followers in coping with negative leadership. They argue that destructive leader behavior as perceived by followers leads to different types of follower coping, namely approachoriented coping (problem-focused or emotion-focused) and avoidance-oriented coping (problem-focused or emotion-focused). Depending on how these coping strategies are perceived by the leader, their destructive leadership behavior is either enforced (due to perceptions of the follower coping behavior as either aggressive/retaliatory or submissive) or potentially altered into a more constructive leadership approach (due to perceptions of the follower coping behavior as constructive). Keller Hansbrough and Jones (2014) focus on the leaders’ part in abusive supervision by considering leader narcissism as an antecedent of abusive leadership. They develop a model that explains how narcissistic leaders’ cognitive processes contribute to abusive supervision, insofar as narcissistic leaders’ cognitive processes lead them to justify their abusive behavior. Specifically, the authors argue that narcissistic leaders’ implicit leadership theories comprise elements of tyranny, that is, for them, tyrannical leadership characterizes typical leaders, including themselves (thus, their abusive behavior is normal for leaders). In addition, Keller Hansbrough and Jones argue that narcissistic

Approach and avoidance coping: Diurnal cortisol rhythm in prostate cancer survivors

Psychological coping responses likely modulate the negative physiological consequences of cancer-related demands. This longitudinal, observational study examined how approach- and avoidance-oriented strategies for coping with cancer are associated with diurnal cortisol rhythm in prostate cancer (PC) survivors. Sixty-six men (M age=65.76; SD=9.04) who had undergone radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy for localized PC within the prior two years reported their use of approach and avoidance coping via questionnaire at study entry (T1). Participants provided saliva samples (3 times per day over 3 days) for diurnal cortisol assessment at T1 and again 4 months later (T2). When controlling for relevant biobehavioral covariates, cancer-related avoidance-oriented coping was associated with flatter cortisol slopes at T1 (B=.34, p=.03) and at T2 (B=.30, p=.02). Approach-oriented coping was not associated with cortisol slopes. Post-hoc analyses revealed a significant interaction between avoidant coping and time since completion of cancer treatment on T2 cortisol slope (B=-.05, p=.04). Men who used relatively more avoidance-oriented coping who were further in time from treatment demonstrated a flatter cortisol slope. High avoidance-oriented coping is associated with dysregulation of cortisol responses, which may be an important target for reducing stress during PC survivorship.

Coping and Resilience of Adolescents With Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart disease has come to be regarded as a chronic rather than terminal disease owing to dramatic advances in its medical and surgical management. Thus, it is salient for healthcare providers to help adolescents with congenital heart disease increase their resilience by using effective coping strategies. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between resilience and task-oriented coping in Korean adolescents with congenital heart disease. This descriptive and exploratory study was designed to explore the effectiveness of task-oriented coping for improving resilience in Korean adolescents with congenital heart disease. After approval of the institutional review board was obtained, 103 adolescents with congenital heart disease who had undergone a corrective operation or procedure for heart malformation were recruited from a congenital heart clinic between November 1, 2009, and February 28, 2010. We measured adolescents' coping strategies and resilience using the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situation and the Resilience Scale. Among these adolescents with congenital heart disease, resilience was significantly related to perceived economic status (P < .01), task-oriented coping (P < .01), and avoidance-oriented coping (P < 0.05). The R change of 0.30 in hierarchical linear regression analysis indicated that task-oriented coping increased the explanation of resilience by 30% (P < .001). Adolescents who used task-oriented coping reported the highest resilience compared with those who used other coping strategies. Task-oriented coping may be an effective means to increase resilience among Korean adolescents with congenital heart disease. Korean healthcare professionals and researchers should thus test programs to increase task-oriented coping, such as comprehensive education programs and support groups that encourage adolescents in the same situation to discuss issues of importance.

Psychotic symptoms, functioning and coping in adolescents with mental illness.

BackgroundPsychotic symptoms in the context of psychiatric disorders are associated with poor functional outcomes. Environmental stressors are important in the development of psychosis; however, distress may only be pathogenic when it exceeds an individual’s ability to cope with it. Therefore, one interesting factor regarding poor functional outcomes in patients with psychotic symptoms may be poor coping. This paper aimed to address the question whether 1) psychotic symptoms are associated with poorer functioning and 2) whether poor coping moderated the association.MethodsIn a clinical case-clinical control study of 106 newly-referred adolescent patients with non-psychotic psychiatric disorders, coping was investigated using the Adolescents Coping Scale. Severity of impairment in socio-occupational functioning was assessed with the Children’s Global Assessment Scale.ResultsPatients with non-psychotic psychiatric disorders and additional psychotic symptoms (N = 50) had poorer functioning and were more likely to use avoidance-oriented coping compared to patients with non-psychotic psychiatric disorders without psychotic symptoms (N = 56). No differences were found with respect to approach-oriented coping. When stratifying for poor/good coping, only those adolescent patients with psychotic symptoms who applied poor coping (i.e. less use of approach-oriented coping styles [OR 0.24, p < 0.015] and more use of avoidance-oriented coping [OR 0.23, p < 0.034]) had poorer functioning. However, these interactions were not significant.ConclusionsNon-adaptive coping and poorer functioning were more often present in adolescents with non-psychotic psychiatric disorders and additional psychotic symptoms. Due to small subgroups, our analyses could not give definitive conclusions about the question whether coping moderated the association between psychotic symptoms and functioning. Improvement of coping skills may form an important target for intervention that may contribute to better clinical and functional outcomes in patients with psychotic symptoms.

The role of brain/behavioural systems in prediction of quality of life and coping strategies in cancer patients

Background: It seems that individual differences in personality characteristics are implicated in the incidence and progress of physical diseases and socio-psychological consequences. However, there are a few studies about the role of personality in the prediction of socio-psychological consequences of cancer. The aim of this research was to survey the role of personality in the prediction of socio-psychosocial factors: quality of life and coping strategies. Methods: This research was a descriptive-correlational study in which the sample included fifty cancer patients who were selected through convenience sampling method. To assess the personality differences, quality of life and coping strategies, the Carver and White (1994) BIS/BAS Scales, SF-12 Health Survey and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situation (CISS) were used, respectively. The data were analysed by SPSS software using Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise regression. Results: The findings showed that Both BIS and BAS systems could predict the quality of life (P<0.001), BIS system could explain the emotion-oriented coping strategy (P<0.05) and avoidance-oriented coping stratesy (P<0.01) and BAS system could explain the problem-oriented coping strategy (P<0.001). Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that brain/behavioural systems can predict the quality of life and coping strategies in cancer patients. The identification of these systems in cancer patients can help recognize the persons that are under the risk of poor quality of life or have a higher chance of using inconsistent coping strategies, and execute preventive measures about them.

The relationship of emotion intelligence with intelligence and personality

The theoretical framework of our research is the ability model of emotion intelligence (EI). Participants were 260 students (males, mean age = 18.7). We measured: (1) EI (MSCEIT); (2) Intelligence (WAIS-III, subtests Information and Symbol search); (3) Personality (questionnaires for extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism, locus of control, coping styles et al.). A few correlations between EI, intelligence and personality traits were significant ( p < .01). EI has higher correlation with Verbal IQ than Performance IQ ( r = .365 and .171). Subtest Information (WAIS) has the highest correlation with subtest Understanding emotions (MSCEIT): r = .413. EI correlates positively with Extraversion ( r = .223) and negatively with Neuroticism ( r = −.194), Psychoticism ( r = −.188). Individuals with high scores on EI have internal locus of control especially for interpersonal relations ( r = .214) and don’t use avoidance-oriented coping style ( r = −.191).

Coping Strategies and Psychological Distress Among Mothers of Patients With Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip and Palate and the Family Impact of This Disorder

The current study aimed to investigate the coping strategies and level of psychological distress in mothers of patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) and the family impact of this disorder. Participants were mothers of 55 children or adolescents with nonsyndromic CLP recruited from families attending a CLP clinic and 2 university hospitals in Mashhad, northeast of Iran. Family impact, psychological distress, and coping strategies were assessed using validated psychological questionnaires including Family Impact Scale, General Health Questionnaire, and Coping Response Inventory. Findings revealed that mothers relied more on the use of approach-oriented rather than avoidance-oriented coping strategies. According to General Health Questionnaire scores, 38.2% of mothers showed some evidence of psychological distress, and 23.6% were suspected of having severe psychological problems. Regarding the family impact of CLP, mothers reported the greatest impact to be on the family's financial status and parental emotions. Those mothers who used avoidant coping strategies reported a greater family impact of CLP (P = 0.002). Emotional discharge and acceptance coping were significant predictors of family impact (P = 0.037 and P = 0.035, respectively). Mothers of 13- to 18-year-old patients with CLP reported greater use of problem-solving coping strategy when compared with mothers of younger patients (P = 0.006). Child's age and coping strategies were not significant predictors of the level of mother's psychological distress. Increased knowledge about how parents cope with their child's craniofacial condition may help caregivers develop a more family-oriented care approach, which is sensitive to the psychosocial needs of parents, children, and their families.

Chronotype and personality factors of predisposition to seasonal affective disorder

The study aimed to recognize the personality factors of a predisposition to seasonal mood fluctuations in a non-clinical sample. A group of 101 subjects (57 women, 44 men; mean age 26.4 ± 6.5 years) completed a battery of tests comprising a Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ), Chronotype Questionnaire (ChQ), a NEO-Five Factor Inventory and a Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS). A smaller sample (n = 44) completed a Winter Blues Scale (WBS). Women scored significantly higher than men in seasonality (p = 0.014), neuroticism (p = 0.049), agreeableness (p = 0.010), and avoidance-oriented coping style (p = 0.041). Subjects with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) (n = 41) or sub-SAD (n = 33), as diagnosed with SPAQ, exhibited higher levels of neuroticism (p = 0.017) and openness (p = 0.016) in comparison to non-SAD individuals. The latter declared a less frequent avoidance coping style. Both measures of seasonality, i.e. the SPAQ Global Seasonality Score and WBS, correlated significantly (r = 0.28 and 0.44, respectively) with the subjective amplitude of the circadian rhythm, as described with the “distinctness” scale of ChQ. Female gender, neuroticism and openness were confirmed as factors linked to seasonal mood variability. Additionally, the study revealed an association between susceptibility to mild winter depression and an avoidance-oriented coping style. The avoidance coping style was correlated positively with all the aspects of seasonality described by SPAQ (correlation coefficients from 0.21 to 0.34). Both sub-types of avoidance-oriented style, i.e. distraction and social diversion, were associated with marked subjective seasonal changes in sleep length, mood and the energy level. While the subjective amplitude of circadian rhythm proved to be connected with seasonality, the subjective acrophase of the rhythm (morningness–eveningness preference) did not. It may be hypothesized that sensitivity to natural environmental conditions/synchronizers is a separate individual trait shaping the subject’s proneness to energy and mood changes both in diurnal and year scale, i.e. circadian and seasonal mood variations.

Advancing Entrepreneurship Education: Stress Influences on Developing Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy

One of the biggest challenges of entrepreneurs is successfully coping with entrepreneurial stress. The relation between stress coping styles and the formation of entrepreneurial intentions has widely remained undiscovered. This paper aims at examining the effects of coping with stress on the development of Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy (ESE), as well as on the formation of entrepreneurial intentions. Therefore, the paper addresses research in the area of entrepreneurial cognition, with a strong focus on the development of ESE and its antecedent: Judgments about one’s own physiological states. Based on concepts from the Social Cognitive Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior, it is hypothesized that different coping styles affect ESE and entrepreneurial intentions. The results of the study confirm the relationship: Task-oriented and avoidance-oriented coping styles are positively related to ESE, emotion-oriented coping style is negatively related to ESE. The implications for entrepreneurship education a...

Individualised and health-related quality of life of persons with spinal cord injury

Cross sectional. To examine associations among functional status, health-related and individualised quality of life (QoL) and coping style in subjects with spinal cord injury (SCI). Italy. Forty subjects attending our hospital-based rehabilitation centre for SCI were administered the Spinal Cord Independence Measure-version III (SCIM-III), the Short Form-36 (SF-36), the Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual QoL-Direct Weighting (SEIQoL-DW) and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situation (CISS) to assess functional status, health-related QoL, individualised QoL and coping strategies, respectively. The SCIM-III scores were positively correlated (P<0.01) with the physical functioning subscale of the SF-36. The only scale that correlated (P<0.01) with the SEIQoL-DW scores was the SF-36 mental health subscale. Positive correlations among task-oriented or avoidance-oriented coping and specific measures of health-related QoL emerged. Data from the present study showed only a few associations among different measures of QoL and suggest that patient-centered evaluations of QoL are not necessarily or strictly related to functional status or health-related QoL. Coping strategies seem to be significantly related to the subjects perceptions of QoL, but mostly in the health-related domains.

Effects of an experimental social stressor on resources loss, negative affect, and coping strategies

This experimental study, grounded in Hobfoll's conservation of resources (COR) theory, assessed the effects of manipulating a social stressor on loss of psychological resources, negative affect, and coping strategies. Israeli student volunteers were randomly allocated to one of two conditions: (1) social stressor (n = 66) and (2.) nonstressor (n = 59). The social stressor, aimed at reducing participant's personal resources, was experimentally induced via the Trier Social Stress Test protocol. The protocol consisted of a mock job interview administered under evaluative conditions, followed by performing a difficult arithmetic calculation task. The nonstressor condition involved a neutral interaction with an experimenter, followed by performing a relatively easy mental calculation task. Consistent with our hypotheses, the social stressor, compared to the nonstressor condition, resulted in statistically significant lower mean levels of psychological resources, higher levels of negative affect, and increased emotion-oriented and avoidance-oriented coping. Furthermore, under the social stressor condition, compared with the nonstressor condition, negative affect was more strongly related to loss of psychological resources and various coping strategies. Overall, the data provide experimental support for key tenets of COR theory

COPING STRATEGIES OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN GEORGIAN CONTEXT

Studies in university students' coping strategies have their peculiarities due to particularly acute stresses characteristic of this period of life. On the other hand, there are specific limits regarding the nature of stressors and the lack of coping ability in this period. Due to such limits, it is necessary to consider different approaches to university students' stressors. Research into university students' coping strategies has been done in various countries, but this is the first such study done in Georgia. Within the transactional stress concept of Lazarus, we tested the stress buffering effects of various coping strategies such as task-, emotion-, and avoidance-oriented coping strategies, praying, and social support. Within the framework of the research, 252 university students from a wide variety of disciplines and with an average age of 21 were surveyed. The methods applied in the study are the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) by Endler &amp; Parker (Endler &amp; Parker,1990) and the Stress Life Inventory (SRRS) by Holmes and Rahe (Holmes &amp; Rahe, 1967) combined with the Kucher Adolescent Depression Scale KADS -6 (Brooks et al.,2003). Results show expected main effects: There are different coping strategies used in different critical life events. Coping strategies such as social support and praying have a stress-buffering effect and prove to be situational resources in cases of strong stress. Certain coping strategies such as task-oriented coping, emotional coping and praying are predictors of psychological well-being. Key words: coping strategies, critical life event, social support, student, university, well-being.

Do people cope with situations as they say? Relationship between perceived coping style and actual coping response

The coping style that individuals think they will use when encountering stressful situations may differ from actual coping response in real situations. In a longitudinal study on some 500 university students, perceived coping style was identified using the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations on the first occasion. In the subsequent eight test occasions, which occurred on a weekly basis, the students were asked about a negative life event that occurred during the past week and the actual coping responses they used. The perceived coping style and the actual coping response matched well for task-oriented and emotion-oriented coping. For avoidance-oriented coping, however, perceived coping style and actual coping response were weakly correlated. Epidemiological studies on coping and mental health should discriminate coping style and coping response. Clinicians should be cautious about patients' own information about avoidance-oriented coping.

Coping strategies in low-risk pregnant women: the influence of low and late fertility

Objective: Socio-demographic factors were strongly associated with coping styles in pregnant women. We studied fertility postponement, a new increasing phenomenon in industrialized countries.Method: We studied coping (The Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, CISS) in 341 healthy pregnant women, with a median age of 34 years (IQR 31–36), in their third trimester, living in Veneto, region of Italy which emerges for its low and late fertility.Results: Task-oriented coping was the most frequently used coping styles (Median, IQR: 48, 44–53), followed by Emotion-oriented coping (Median, IQR: 44, 39–49). Avoidance-oriented coping with subscales Social Diversion and Distraction were used least frequently (Median, IQR: 44, 38–49; 21, 18–24, and 14, 12–16, respectively). Socio-demographic factors were not associated with coping styles, but maternal age was inversely correlated with task coping (Spearman coefficient rho = −0.13, p = 0.02).Conclusion: Fertility postponement leads to the selection and use of ineffective coping strategies in an effort to alleviate anxiety.

AB0694 Assessment of quality of life and coping in patients with SLE

BackgroundThe assessment of quality of Life (QoL) in chronic rheumatic diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is very important as it does not necessarily correlates with activity and damage....