Greater Use Of Problem-focused Coping Research Articles

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between anxiety symptoms and coping in family carers of dependent people aged 18 and over.

Anxiety symptoms are prevalent in family carers of dependent people. Despite accumulating evidence in the area, there are still inconsistent findings on the association between carer anxiety symptoms and coping strategies. The aim of our study was to systematically analyse the relationship between anxiety symptoms and coping strategies in carers of dependent adults aged 18years and older, and examine possible sources of heterogeneity in the results. The study design was a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched several international databases (Pubmed, CINAHL, PsycINFO and LILACS) from June 2022 up to February 2023. We followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses statement and performed several subgroup analyses to examine whether study design, cause of dependency and whether or not controlling for various biases influenced results. Forty-one studies were included in the review. We found significant associations between greater use of dysfunctional coping and higher anxiety symptoms. Greater use of problem-focused coping was associated with lower anxiety symptoms in carers of frail older people, but higher anxiety in carers of people surviving cancer. Emotion-focused coping and some of its individual strategies, such as acceptance and positive reappraisal, in probabilistic samples, were associated with lower anxiety symptoms across all groups. Most of the studies included in this review were cross-sectional. Evidence overall indicates that only specific dimensions and strategies of coping are significantly associated with anxiety symptoms in family carers. These findings should be considered when developing future interventions supporting carers.

Racial discrimination, coping, and suicidal ideation in Chinese immigrants.

Although suicide is a major public health problem, little research has addressed factors linked to suicide risk in U.S. Asian ethnic subgroups, including the U.S. Chinese population. In this study, we investigate the relationship between racial discrimination and suicidal ideation among Chinese immigrants in the U.S., as well as the mediating and moderating role of coping. This is a secondary analysis of online survey data from 501 Chinese immigrants in the U.S. Perceived racial discrimination and problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidant coping were measured. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted to determine whether the three types of coping served as mediators or moderators between racism and suicidal ideation. Chinese immigrants who perceived racial discrimination were more likely to engage in suicidal ideation (OR = 1.38, 95% CI [1.05, 1.81]). Greater use of problem-focused coping was associated with decreased risk of suicidal ideation (OR = 0.38, 95% CI [0.26, 0.54]). The interaction of racial discrimination and problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidant coping did not significantly predict suicidal ideation (p > .05), but the mediating effects of emotion-focused and avoidant coping were significant. Greater attention should be paid to the detrimental effects of racial discrimination on suicidal ideation among Chinese immigrants. A focus on strengthening problem-focused coping and reducing emotion-focused and avoidant coping among Chinese immigrants should lead to effective suicide prevention strategies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Siblings of young people with chronic illness: Caring responsibilities and psychosocial functioning.

Siblings of young people with chronic illness commonly undertake caring responsibilities for their affected brother/sister, which may encourage maturation, yet may also be perceived as a burden. Our study determined (1) siblings' caring responsibilities, (2) siblings' current emotional distress and psychosocial functioning, and (3) how siblings' caring responsibilities and psychosocial functioning related to familial relationships and coping strategies. Siblings completed questionnaires which contained Sibling Inventory of Behavior, Sibling Inventory of Differential Experiences, PedsQL, emotion thermometers, Brief COPE, and a checklist of caregiving responsibilities. We analyzed the data with t-tests and multi-level models. Forty-five siblings (mean age = 15.40 years, SD = 3.31years; 60.0% female) participated. Siblings who had caring responsibilities (n = 26, 57.8%) reported lower anxiety symptoms, lower need for help, greater use of problem-focused coping, and more companionship and teaching/directiveness with their affected brother/sister than siblings without caring responsibilities. Siblings reported lower psychosocial and physical functioning when they perceived their parents provided them with less affection than their affected brother/sister. Family-based psychosocial interventions may aim to improve the sibling-parent relationship (including expressing affection) and the sibling-sibling relationship. Future interventions may also focus on increasing siblings' use of problem-focused coping strategies.

Childhood Sexual Abuse and Coping as Young Adults: The Roles of Attachment and Mattering.

This study examined whether a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), attachment to mother, father, and friends, and mattering were related to the coping behaviors of 171 male and 85 female, ethnically diverse, low-income, young adults. The 74 survivors of CSA reported lower attachment to father and less mattering to parents than did the 97 who reported no abuse. Compared to male survivors, female survivors reported greater use of problem-focused coping and also perceived their abuse experience, particularly the use of force, as having a more negative impact on them. Stronger attachment to mother and to friends predicted more positive problem-focused coping. Mattering to friends moderated the relation between CSA history and problem-focused coping, with the CSA survivors who reported the highest mattering to friends also using the most problem-focused coping strategies. The role of attachment and mattering in problem-focused coping among young adults, especially those with a CSA history, is discussed.

College Students' Coping and Psychological Help-Seeking Attitudes and Intentions

The relationship between college students' coping and psychological help-seeking attitudes and intentions was examined. Seven hundred and nineteen students participated (180 men, 537 women, and two individuals who did not indicate their gender). Questionnaires were completed online and included the Brief COPE and Beliefs About Psychological Services scales. It was found that for students with previous counseling experience, coping by means of greater use of support seeking and less use of avoidant coping strategies was associated with greater intent to seek psychological help, greater stigma tolerance, and greater belief in psychologists' expertness. Problem-focused coping was unrelated to psychological help-seeking attitudes and intentions among these students. For students without previous counseling experience, coping by means of greater use of support seeking (emotional support, instrumental support, and venting), greater use of problem-focused coping (active coping, positive reframing, religion, and planning), and less use of avoidant coping strategies (denial, substance use, behavioral disengagement, and self-blame) was associated with greater stigma tolerance and greater belief in psychologists' expertness. For these students, coping behaviors were not related to intentions to seek counseling.

Relationship between ways of coping and posttraumatic stress symptoms in firefighters compared to the general population in South Korea

Professional firefighters frequently encounter stressful events in the line of duty, which may lead to the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). However, it remains unclear how PTSS relates to ways of coping in this population. We evaluated the differences in ways of coping between firefighters and the general population, and we determined the relationship between ways of coping and PTSS in both groups. Professional firefighters (N = 212) and adults from the general population (N = 500) completed measures of potentially traumatic events (PTEs), the Ways of Coping Checklist, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Participants who reported experiencing at least one PTE also completed the Impact of Events Scale-Revised to assess PTSS severity. Firefighters showed greater use of problem-focused coping, seeking social support, and wishful thinking than did the general population. In the firefighters group only, there were negative correlations between PTSS and problem-focused coping and seeking social support; however, the opposite was found in the general population. This study identified the unique relationship between ways of coping and PTSS in professional firefighters. Our findings highlighted that active coping, including problem-focused and seeking social support, might play a key role in alleviating firefighters’ post-traumatic stress reactions.

The Relationship Between Optimism and Coping Styles of Salespeople

Despite an awareness of the inverse relationship between stress levels and job performance, researchers have not addressed the specific coping strategies used by salespeople in their efforts to cope with sales-related stress. A framework is developed that suggests dispositionally optimistic salespeople may employ different coping strategies than do pessimistic salespeople. Support for hypotheses that have been grounded in this broad proposition was developed in a study that employed a multi-firm sales sample. Optimists were found to employ more problem-focused coping tactics, while pessimists used more emotion-focused coping. Issues relating to why problem-focused coping tactics are preferable as well as how greater use of problem-focused coping may be promoted within a sales organization are discussed.

An investigation of factors supporting the psychological health of staff in a UK emergency department

Study objectiveResearch indicates emergency department doctors experience high levels of stress. Poor psychological health affects staff well-being and patient care, with considerable organisational and financial cost. This study compares levels...

Siblings of individuals with an autism spectrum disorder

We investigated sibling relationships and wellbeing in adolescents and adults with a sibling with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Adolescents engaged in more shared activities than did adults. Adolescents reported greater social support, greater use of emotion-focused coping strategies, and less use of problem-focused coping than adults. In adulthood, females with a sister with ASD reported the most positive affect in the sibling relationship and men with a sister with ASD the least. Adolescents engaged in more shared activities and reported more positive affect in their sibling relationship when their sibling with ASD had fewer behavior problems; greater use of problem-focused coping buffered the negative effects of behavior problems on sibling engagement. For adults, more shared activities were observed when the sibling with ASD was younger in age and had fewer behavior problems; greater positive affect in sibling relationships was predicted by greater parental support.

A Longitudinal Investigation of Coping Processes During a Merger: Implications for Job Satisfaction and Organizational Identification

This study tested the utility of a stress and coping model of employee adjustment to a merger. Two hundred and twenty employees completed both questionnaires (Time 1: 3 months after merger implementation; Time 2: 2 years later). Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that positive event characteristics predicted greater appraisals of self-efficacy and less stress at Time 1. Self-efficacy, in turn, predicted greater use of problem-focused coping at Time 2, whereas stress predicted a greater use of problem-focused and avoidance coping. Finally, problem-focused coping predicted higher levels of job satisfaction and identification with the merged organization (Time 2), whereas avoidance coping predicted lower identification.

Roles of perceived control and coping strategies on depressive and anxiety symptoms of Turkish adolescents.

This study aimed to test the importance of the match between control appraisals and coping responses as relating to the psychological symptoms of anxiety and depression in adolescents. Besides this match, by means of a survey study the main effects of control appraisals and coping strategies were tested via hierarchical regression analyses, which were run for anxiety and depression symptoms separately. Participants were 396 students (204 girls, 192 boys) whose ages were 11 to 18 years. After controlling for potential factors such as appraisals concerning the problem features, some subject variables, and perceived general stress, results indicated an important discriminative feature among these symptoms, addressing greater use of problem-focused coping than emotion-focused coping, was associated with alleviated depression symptoms of adolescents. On the other hand, the preferring coping strategies were not related to anxiety symptoms. Importance of problem appraisals and coping responses in alleviating depression and anxiety symptoms were discussed together with their potential function in discriminating associates of these symptoms.

Stress and coping in early psychosis

Although coping with stress is important in early psychosis, little is known about how this population copes with the range of stressors they encounter in their daily life. This study aims to identify how people with early psychosis cope with a range of stressful situations and to identify what factors might influence their use of coping strategies. Participants included a clinical group of 50 people with early psychosis and a non-clinical group of 22 people matched on age and gender. Data were obtained on symptomatology and social support for the clinical group, and stress and coping, and self-efficacy for all participants. The clinical group reported coping less well than the non-clinical group and they most commonly used emotion-focused coping. For the clinical group, effective coping correlated with less severe negative symptoms, greater perceived self-efficacy, social support and greater use of problem-focused coping. Self-efficacy and social support predicted increased frequency of the use of problem-focused coping. People with early psychosis who have greater feelings of self-efficacy and perceived social support, and the flexible use of problem-focused coping strategies, appear to be more likely to cope with day-to-day stressors.