Coping Preferences Research Articles

A survey of Parkinson's disease patients: most bothersome symptoms and coping preferences.

Treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) is symptomatic. Health professionals must therefore understand which of the many motor and non-motor problems that patients experience are the most troublesome, and what types of assistance patients believe would best help them cope with these problems. To identify and understand potential issues of importance to patients with Parkinson's Disease. We conducted surveys with 75 patients with PD in a Movement Disorders Program. We asked about: the two most bothersome PD-related problems, methods for coping with these problems, what motor and non-motor PD-related problems patients needed the most help with, and what a comprehensive assistance program for PD patients and caregivers should include. We used qualitative data analysis techniques to summarize responses. The most bothersome problems cited were: tremors, lack of mobility, pain, imbalance, lack of energy/fatigue, having to give up previously enjoyed activities, dysarthria, and anxiety or depression. Frequently cited ways to cope with different types of problems included medications, physical activity, instrumental or practical support, and emotional support. When asked specifically about which non-motor problems elicited the most need for help, respondents most commonly mentioned depression and anxiety, "nothing," or cognitive problems. Participants suggested that a comprehensive assistance program for people with PD and their caregivers should include education, physical activity, and emotional support. RESULTS from this survey highlight the diversity of patient experiences with PD, and the importance of strategies for coping with both motor and non-motor symptoms associated with Parkinson's Disease (in addition to medications).

Examining Publics' Crisis Responses According to Different Shades of Anger and Sympathy

Integrating the discrete emotions and emotional dimensionality theories in crisis communication research, a 2 (emotional type: anger vs. sympathy) × 2 (emotional intensity: high vs. low) between-subjects experiment using a random general public sample was designed to examine the variance in publics' crisis coping strategies and their acceptance of different organizational crisis responses, as a function of crisis-induced anger and sympathy of different intensity. Differential influences of emotional type and intensity on coping and crisis response preferences were found. Interaction effects revealed: (a) more intense sympathetic feelings lead to higher likelihood of conative coping preference; (b) more sympathy at low intensity contributes to more preference of active cognitive coping and acceptance of accommodative organizational responses; and (c) more intense anger is related to acceptance of more defensive crisis response such as scapegoating.

Coping Behaviours and Post‐traumatic Stress in War‐affected Eastern Congolese Adolescents

This study explores coping strategies used by war-affected eastern Congolese adolescents across age and sex, and the association between post-traumatic stress symptoms and engagement and disengagement coping. Cross-sectional data were collected in 11 secondary schools across four areas in the Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo. A total of 952 pupils (45.3% girls, 54.7% boys) aged 13-21 years (M = 15.83, standard deviation = 1.81) participated in self-report assessment, using instruments that were either specifically developed (Adolescent Complex Emergency Exposure Scale, assessing traumatic exposure), validated (Impact of Event Scale Revised, assessing post-traumatic stress symptoms) or reviewed (Kidcope, assessing coping strategies) for the study population. Reported coping strategies varied with age, and boys more frequently reported problem solving and resignation as compared with girls. Disengagement coping was associated with lower symptom scores in younger adolescent girls, as was the interaction effect between engagement and disengagement coping. We conclude that disengagement coping is not necessarily a maladaptive reaction to stressful events in war-affected situations and that future research should aim to better understand the heterogeneous patterns of stress and coping responses, including the role of factors such as the nature and appraisal of stressors, available resources for coping and cultural preferences.

Childhood maltreatment and coping in bipolar disorder.

A personal history of childhood maltreatment has been associated with unfavorable outcomes in bipolar disorder (BD). The impact of early life stressors on the course of BD may be influenced by individual differences in coping skills. The coping construct relies on neurocognitive mechanisms that are usually influenced by childhood maltreatment. The objective of the present study was to verify the association between childhood maltreatment and coping skills in individuals with BD Type 1. Thirty female euthymic outpatients with BD Type 1 were evaluated using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and two additional instruments to measure their coping preferences: Ways of Coping Questionnaire (coping strategies) and Brief COPE (coping styles). Reports of physical abuse (B = .64, p < .01) and emotional abuse (B = .44, p = .01) were associated with the use of maladaptive strategies that focused on emotional control. Adaptive strategies and styles of coping, such as focusing on the problem, were chosen less frequently by women who had experienced emotional neglect (B = .53, p < .01) and physical abuse (B = -.48, p < .01) in childhood. The small sample size in the present study prevented subgroup analyses. The sample did not include male BD participants. Our results indicate that early traumatic events may have a long-lasting deleterious influence on coping abilities in female BD patients. Future prospective studies may investigate whether the negative impact of childhood maltreatment over the course of BD is mediated by individual differences in coping abilities.

Coping profiles in bipolar disorder

ObjectiveAs coping responses have the capacity to distinctly influence the illness course in affective disorders, they form targets for psychological intervention. Beneficial effects have been reported for interventions incorporating adaptive coping in bipolar disorder. Identification of differential coping preferences in bipolar disorder sub-types has etiological and clinical implications. As most studies to date have focused exclusively on bipolar I disorder, the current study examines coping profiles in those with a bipolar I or II disorder, contrasted with unipolar depressive and healthy controls. MethodsGroups were derived on the basis of agreement between clinician and DSM-IV diagnoses. Participants (94 bipolar I, 114 bipolar II, 109 unipolar recurrent depression, 100 healthy controls) completed coping style measures including the Brief Cope, Responses to Positive Affect questionnaire, Response Styles Questionnaire, the Coping Inventory for Prodromes of Mania, and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. ResultsBipolar (I and II) participants were more likely than unipolar participants to ruminate about positive affect, and engage in risk taking when faced with negative affect. Medication status and current mood symptoms influenced risk-taking scores in the bipolar sub-sets, however rumination about positive affect appeared to represent a trait-like response in those with a bipolar II disorder. Behavioral coping strategies differentiated bipolar sub-types, with bipolar II participants being less likely to seek support when faced with stress, and less likely to engage in strategies to down-regulate hypomania. ConclusionCoping style differences were observed between bipolar sub-types. Further consideration of such differentiating characteristics should serve to direct the focus towards specific targets for clinical intervention, reflecting nuances integral to the differing conditions.

Violence-related coping, help-seeking and health care-based intervention preferences among perinatal women in Mumbai, India.

Domestic violence is a significant public health issue. India is uniquely affected with an estimated 1 in 3 women facing abuse at the hands of a partner. The current mixed-methods study describes violence-related coping and help-seeking, and preferences for health care-based intervention, among perinatal women residing in low-income communities in Mumbai, India. In-depth interviews were conducted with women who had recently given birth and self-reported recent violence from husbands (n = 32), followed by survey data collection (n = 1,038) from mothers seeking immunization for their infants ages 6 months or younger at 3 large urban health centers in Mumbai, India. Participants described fears and other barriers to abuse disclosure, and there was a low level of awareness of formal support services related to violence. Qualitative and quantitative findings indicated that formal help-seeking is uncommon and that informal help sources are most frequently sought. Quantitative results revealed that, while few (<5%) women had been screened for violence in the health care setting, most (67%) would be willing to disclose abuse if asked. When presented with a list of possible clinic-based violence support interventions, participants endorsed crisis counseling and safety planning as most helpful (90.9%). Findings provide direction for violence-related intervention services for perinatal women. A multipronged approach that includes strengthening the informal support system, for example, neighbors and family members, as well as facilitating access to formal services building on the health care system, warrants exploration in this context.

The rationale and pilot study of a new paediatric dental patient request form to improve communication and outcomes of dental appointments

Children's unhappy visits to the dentist can negatively impact lifelong oral health. A possible intervention is to enhance empathy in the child patient-dental practitioner relationship through communication. The present paper presents a new instrument, the Survey of Anxiety and Information for Dentists (SAID), which targets children's dental anxiety, coping preferences and dental neglect, and offers children a change to request information and engage in treatment planning. Five children's focus groups pilot tested the content, wording and response format of a prototype patient request form, the SAID. Participants were 34 10- to 13-year-old children who individually completed the form then discussed it item by item in their small groups. Children had no difficulty completing most items. They identified ambiguities, and items that were meaningless to them, and proposed a new item asking the dentist about their job. Children were polarized over the response format, but they were emphatic about passing the form directly to the dentist, and not to a receptionist or assistant, stressing the importance of having a conversation with their dentist. Before the pilot, dentists had expressed concerns about the potential for words in the SAID-provoking negative feelings. Children, however, wanted and needed facts, so requested that dentists use plain language, not euphemisms, to describe problems and treatment options. We report their selected practical suggestions. SAID-informed negotiated care may promote more patient cooperation and satisfaction at appointments, and more attention to oral hygiene between appointments.

Factors that affect the occurrence and chronicity of occupation-related musculoskeletal disorders

The components that affect the occurrence and chronicity of musculoskeletal disease are multifactorial. The return to work process and prevention of future chronic disability commences at the time of the initial assessment. The clinician can identify, at an early stage, patients with negative expectations of return to work and adopt a care plan oriented to functional adaptation. Medical and psychosocial treatment plans taking account of coping preferences, beliefs and practices are more likely to help prevent chronic disability. Other factors that can influence the long-term disability rate include medically discretionary or unnecessary time off work and litigation itself. Workplace factors can result in unnecessary absenteeism and poorly managed presenteeism.

Metacognition in schizophrenia: The relationship of mastery to coping, insight, self-esteem, social anxiety, and various facets of neurocognition

OBJECTIVES. Deficits in metacognition, or the ability to think about thinking, are common in schizophrenia and associated with functional impairment. Unknown are what elements of function are affected by what aspects of metacognition. DESIGN. This study explored whether participants with differing capacities for Mastery, a domain of metacognition that reflects the ability to use knowledge about mental states to respond to psychological challenges, had difficulties in different elements of daily function. METHODS. Participants were 98 adults with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in a non-acute phase, classified into three groups on the basis of ratings of their capacity for metacognitive Mastery using the Metacognitive Assessment Scale: low Mastery (those unable to plausibly represent psychological challenges), Intermediate Mastery (those able to plausibly represent psychological problems but cope primarily through passive measures or avoidance), and high Mastery (those able to cope with plausible problems through cognitive means). Participants completed assessments of coping preference, insight, self-esteem, and anxiety. RESULTS. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed that the high-Mastery group had a greater preference for coping with stressors by thinking and talking about them, and greater insight than all other groups, and higher levels of feeling accepted by peers than the intermediate-Mastery group. The intermediate-Mastery group reported higher levels of resignation when facing stressors and more social phobia than the other two groups. These findings of Mastery group differences in self-esteem and anxiety persisted when neurocognition was controlled for in an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). CONCLUSIONS. Mastery appears linked to coping preference, insight, self-esteem, and anxiety in a generally non-linear manner.

The Effects of Marital Conflict on Korean Children’s Appraisal of Conflict and Psychological Adjustment

This study examined the effects of marital conflict on Korean children’s psychological adjustment and appraisal of hypothetical marital conflict situations. Children between the ages of 10 and 12 were divided into “high-conflict” (n = 58) and “low-conflict” (n = 58) groups based on their self-reported degree of perceived interparental conflict in the home environment. Hypothetical marital conflict situations were provided in cartoon format, and were differentiated based conflict intensity (verbal versus physical aggression) and content (child-related conflict versus non-child-related conflict). In general, children reported greater negative affect and perceived threat to hypothetical conflict situations involving physical aggression compared to situations involving verbal conflict. In child-related conflict situations, children reported more fear of being drawn in and endorsed coping strategies that involved direct intervention. “High-conflict group” children evidenced stronger reactivity in responding to marital conflict situations in general and endorsed indirect intervention strategies—a finding previously not found in similar studies conducted with European-American children—indicating the possibility of cross-cultural difference in coping preferences in interparental conflict situations. Furthermore, “high-conflict group” children manifested more indices of maladjustment as indicated by externalizing and internalizing behavior problems, in addition to more self-reported depressive symptoms. Results highlight the effects of marital conflict on children’s psychological adjustment and indicate the possibility of cross-cultural differences in preferred coping mechanism in interparental conflict situations for Korean children.

Effect of patient coping preferences on quality of life following renal transplantation

This paper is a report of a study investigating the relationships between quality of life, patient coping preferences, and desire to be actively involved in care following renal transplantation. While the general consensus is that quality of life is improved greatly by kidney transplantation, it is apparent that it is not uniformly a positive experience in this regard. There is a need to identify individual difference factors that influence quality of life following renal transplantation. A correlational study was conducted in the national referral centre for renal transplantation in the Republic of Ireland in 2006 with a sample of 172 transplant recipients. Data were collected using a questionnaire composed of standardized instruments to measure the key concepts. Participants perceived that they had good quality of life, and used more problem-solving than avoidance coping strategies. Avoidance coping strategies were associated with statistically significantly lower quality of life following transplantation. Being younger, attaining a higher education level, being in employment and being married were associated with higher quality of life following transplantation. Assessment of coping strategies among the transplant population should be further explored in clinical practice, and steps employed to promote the use of positive coping strategies in order to maximize quality of life after transplant.

The effects of being spurned and self-esteem on depersonalization and coping preferences in kindergarten teachers: the case of Hong Kong

The primary objective of this study was to examine, based on a model of spurned helpers’ reactions: (a) the degrees to which kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong, China, experienced recurrent rejections of their offers of help (being spurned) by peer teachers; (b) whether being spurned by peers would induce depersonalization; (c) the ways teachers with higher or lower self-esteem coped with recurrent rejection; and (d) effects of coping in reducing depersonalization. A sample of serving kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong participated in the study. Their levels of self-esteem were first measured. Five months afterwards the extent to which they were spurned by their peers and the way they coped with such rejections were assessed. Another 5 months later the degrees to which they experienced depersonalization were measured. The results showed (a) that the teachers were fairly spurned; (b) that the more spurned the teachers were, the more depersonalized they were towards their peers; and (c) teachers with higher self-esteem and teachers with lower self-esteem coped with being spurned in different ways. The findings suggest that kindergarten teachers should be aware of recurrent rejection of their offers of help by peer workers and also the adverse effects of such rejection, and that administrators should provide training to teachers to assist them to deal with recurrent rejection of help by peers.

Physical and Psychosocial Health in Older Women with Chronic Pain: Comparing Clusters of Clinical and Nonclinical Samples

This investigation examined why some elderly women with severe pain symptoms and impairment in health status were not seen in a tertiary care pain center. Three groups of older (> or = 60 years) women were included in the study: women seeking chronic pain treatment at a multidisciplinary pain center (N = 49), and research volunteers from the same institution with (N = 28) and without (N = 27) chronic pain. A clustering classification technique was used to identify clusters of older women with similar physical and mental health status. We found three clusters: 1) a healthy cluster (cluster 1: mostly nonclinical women); 2) a cluster with very poor physical and mental health status (cluster 3); and 3) a cluster with low physical health but average mental health (cluster 2). Although only cluster 1 had significantly higher physical health (P < 0.001), all three clusters had different mental health (P < 0.001). Within cluster 2, clinical women had more pain than nonclinical women, but within cluster 3, this was not so, indicating that mental health issues may create an obstacle to women having their pain appropriately assessed and treated. Our findings support that while disability and pain severity contribute to specialized pain services usage among older women, there is a subgroup of people not receiving pain care for whom these pain symptoms are similar. Further studies are needed to assess the role of health-seeking behavior, coping preferences, referral patterns, and patient-physician communication on access to tertiary pain care for older women.

African American women's beliefs about mental illness, stigma, and preferred coping behaviors

We examined African American women's representations/beliefs about mental illness, preferred coping behaviors if faced with mental illness, whether perceived stigma was associated with treatment-seeking, and if so, whether it was related to beliefs and coping preference, and whether these variables differed by age group. Participants were 185 community-dwelling African American women 25 to 85 years of age. Results indicated the women believed that mental illness is caused by several factors, including family-related stress and social stress due to racism, is cyclical, and has serious consequences but can be controlled by treatment. Participants endorsed low perceptions of stigma. Major preferred coping strategies included praying and seeking medical and mental health care. Age differences were found in all variables except stigma.

Predictors of aggressive end-of-life care among Hispanic and white advanced cancer patients

9538 Background: Some ethnic/racial minority cancer patients (e.g. African Americans) have been shown to receive more life-prolonging care at the end-of-life (EOL) than white patients. Nevertheless, few studies have investigated whether Hispanic cancer patients receive more aggressive care than white patients and limited information exists on the predictors of aggressive care among Hispanic patients. The present study examined rates and predictors of aggressive EOL care among Hispanic and white cancer patients. Methods: Subjects participated in a US multi-site, prospective study between September 2002 - August 2008. Data were derived from interviews, conducted in English or Spanish, of 292 self-reported Hispanic (N=58) or white (N=234) stage IV cancer patients and their caregivers. Patients were followed until death, a median of 118.5 days later. Caregiver post-mortem interviews documented patient care in the last week of life. “Aggressive EOL care” was operationalized as cardiopulmonary resuscitation and/or ventilation and death in an intensive care unit. Aggressive EOL care was regressed on the following baseline, patient-reported, independent variables: a preference for life-prolonging care, EOL treatment discussion, do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order, terminal illness acknowledgement, and religious coping. Logistic regression models were stratified by ethnic status and controlled for significant confounds (e.g. socioeconomic status). Results: Hispanic and white advanced cancer patients were equally likely to receive aggressive EOL care (5.2% and 3.4%, respectively; p=0.878). Although religious coping and treatment preferences predicted aggressive EOL care for white patients (adjusted odds ratio 7.76 [p=0.025] and 13.20 [p=0.008]), they were not predictive among Hispanic patients. Hispanic patients were less likely than white patients to have DNR orders (22.4% vs 50.4%; p=0.007). For both white and Hispanic cancer patients, no patient who reported an EOL discussion or DNR order at baseline received aggressive EOL care. Conclusions: Given that EOL discussions and DNR orders may prevent aggressive EOL care among Hispanic cancer patients, further efforts to engage Hispanic patients and their caregivers in these activities may reduce aggressive EOL care. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Patterns of coping preference among persons with schizophrenia: Associations with self-esteem, hope, symptoms and function.

Data from first person accounts (Frese, 1993) structured interviews (Mueser, et al., 1997) and formal assessments (Ritsner et al., 2006) suggest that many with schizophrenia spectrum disorders experience enduring difficulties coping effectually with daily and unexpected stress. They may struggle to solve problems (e.g. Corrigan and Toomey, 1995; Penn, et al, 1993), and tend, as a matter of style, to ignore stressors or abandon attempts to find alternative solutions to problems when their usual patterns of behavior fail (Farhall & Gehrke, 1997; Lysaker, Wilt, Plascek-Hallberg, Brenner, & Clements, 2003; Wilder-Willis, et al., 2002). In addition to having a tendency to employ specific forms of coping which may repeatedly fail, persons with schizophrenia appear to have a limited range of possible ways to respond when under stress. It is not simply, therefore, that persons with schizophrenia choose the wrong behavior when facing a challenge but that they may have a coping style which does not include enough possibilities beyond reacting and avoidance (Roe, Yanos & Lysaker, 2006). Overall, ineffective coping is a matter of broad clinical concern. The inability to manage and respond to stress is believed to be among the primary causes of relapse and reduced quality of life in schizophrenia (Ritsner, et al, 2003; Ventura, et al, 1989). Research has suggested that more impoverished and avoidant styles of coping styles are linked to greater affective distress, greater levels of positive and negative symptoms, lesser hope and more frequent hospitalizations (e.g. Bak et al., 2001; 2003; Lysaker et al., 2005; 2001; Macdonald et al., 1998; Meyer, 2001; Modestin, et al., 2004; Middleboe and Mortensen, 1997; Ritsner & Ratner, 2006; Wiedl, 1992). Simply put, as persons fail to cope they feel increasingly overwhelmed and demoralized, which may lead to exacerbations in symptoms , which may then reinforce maladaptive coping style s in the manner of a vicious cycle. To date, one limitation of the research on coping in schizophrenia is that it has tended to focus on either individual pieces of the coping process or on general patterns of active vs. passive or emotional focused approaches to stressors, rather than profiles of coping preference. In other words, beyond a broad understanding of the differences between functional and dysfunctional coping it remains unclear whether there are particular combinations of coping behaviors which are particularly adaptive as opposed to maladaptive for persons with schizophrenia. For instance, are there coping profiles which involve a preference for taking action in the absence of actively considering alternatives that contribute to psychosocial impairment? Are there certain patterns or combinations of avoidant coping more closely linked to dysfunction than others? Is having no coping preference linked more closely with health or dysfunction? Understanding how coping profiles are related to health could be of clinical importance and point to possible means of both assessment and intervention for persons seeking recovery from schizophrenia. To examine this issue we have previously suggested that an adaptive coping preference may be assessed among persons with schizophrenia. We defined a coping preference for an action orientation, which we labeled acting; and a coping preference for thinking or talking with others, which we labeled considering (Lysaker, et al., 2004). We have further suggested that a preference alone for acting or a preference alone for considering might be linked with dysfunction. Evidence supporting this includes a study with a small sample in which those identified as having preference for both acting and considering, as opposed to a preference for one or neither, was linked to better work performance in rehabilitation over time (Lysaker, et al., 2004). In the current study we have sought to expand this research by determining if groups of persons with schizophrenia could be detected who varied according to their coping profile and whether those groups differed in the expected direction on objective measures of wellness and function. …

Clinical and psychological correlates of two domains of hopelessness in schizophrenia

Hopelessness is a widely observed barrier to recovery from schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Yet little is known about how clinical, social, and psychological factors independently affect hope. Additionally, the relationships that exist between these factors and different kinds of hope are unclear. To explore both issues, we correlated two aspects of hope, expectations of the future and agency, with stigma, clinical symptoms, anxiety, and coping preferences in 143 persons with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Multiple regressions revealed that hope for the future was predicted by lesser alienation, lesser preference for ignoring stressors, and lesser emotional discomfort and negative symptoms, accounting for 43% of the variance. A greater sense of agency was linked to lesser endorsement of mental illness stereotypes, fewer negative symptoms, lesser social phobia, and lesser preference for ignoring stressors, accounting for 44% of the variance. Implications for research and interventions are discussed.

Can Psychological Factors Account for a Lack of Nocturnal Blood Pressure Dipping?

In healthy individuals, blood pressure (BP) decreases, or "dips", during sleep. Ethnicity and high daytime blood pressure level are known markers of nondipping status. The literature on psychological markers of nondipping is scant but suggests that anger/hostility and chronic stress may be contributors to nondipping. We have investigated this phenomenon in drug-free hypertensives who participated in a clinical trial and supplied extensive demographic, psychological, and biological risk factor data after medication washout prior to any treatment. Sixty-two patients were available for analysis (n = 30 nondippers). While most studies focus only on systolic BP nondipping, we explicitly studied both systolic and diastolic BP dipping as outcomes given that both have prognostic value. Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that predictor variables in total accounted for 38% of variance in systolic blood pressure dipping and 44% of variance in diastolic blood pressure dipping. A significant positive predictor was alcohol consumption (beta = 0.37, t = 2.8, p = 0.007) for systolic BP and beta = 0.43, t = 3.7, p = 0.001 for diastolic BP), and an anger diffusion preference was also a positive predictor (beta = 0.42, t = 2.7, p = 0.01) for systolic BP dipping. No measure of trait negative affect reached significance as a predictor for systolic or diastolic BP dipping. These findings suggest that for a better understanding of the nondipping phenomenon, behavioral risk factors are important, and anger response styles may also be worthy of further study. Furthermore, anger coping preferences may be as important, or even more so, than levels of negative affect.

The Shapes of Commitment Development in Emerging Adulthood

Based on a model developed by Kunnen et al. (in: Nurmi (ed) Navigating through adolescence: European perspectives, 2001), we investigated trajectories of commitment development in university students and their relation with well-being, identity style, coping, personality, and ego-development. By means of cluster analysis on individual trajectories, we distinguished different clusters of trajectories in six domains of life. Almost all clusters could be classified according to the identity status theory, either on a moratorium-achieved trajectory (MAMA), or as a stable trajectory in one of the four identity statuses. As expected, clusters with stable strong commitment had highest levels of well-being, and MAMA clusters had highest levels of ego-development. In general, the condition “having no commitments for a prolonged period” was more strongly related to non-optimal outcomes than the condition “no exploration.” This is surprising, given the important role of exploration in identity development. We suggested that having no commitments may affect—probably temporarily—the coping preferences and personality characteristics. Differences between the domains can be interpreted as effects of different societal demands and the social or non-social nature of the domain.

Coherence and transituational generality in coping: The unity and the diversity

We investigated the transituational coherence of coping strategy use by collecting coping data on multiple occasions, and assessing the effects of aggregation over varying numbers of occasions. Study 1 examined the effects of aggregating daily coping reports over three- and six-day periods. Study 2 extended the results of Study 1 by assessing the extent to which aggregation increased the correlation between a dispositional coping measure and daily coping reports. Both studies strongly supported the hypothesis that aggregation would enhance the consistency of coping preferences, suggesting some degree of coherence within the domain of coping strategy used. Aggregated coping reports correlated with each other at significantly higher levels (ranging from 0.46 to 0.77 in Study 1 and from 0.65 to 0.95 in Study 2), than unaggregated coping reports (ranging from −0.12 to 0.30 in Study 1 and from 0.12 to 0.53 in Study 2). Study 2 also showed that aggregated daily reports were better predictors of subsequent coping than scores derived from a standard dispositional coping survey.