Higher Coping Efficacy Research Articles

Daily Interplay of Positive and Negative Events with Adolescents' Daily Well-Being: Multilevel Person-Centered and Variable-Centered Approaches.

This study examined associations between adolescents' daily negative and positive events and their coping efficacy, an understudied topic but pivotal to adolescent thriving. The sample included 153 parent-adolescent triads; adolescents' mean age, 15.71 years (SD = 1.53), 51% girls. Parents were in their midlife (Mage mother = 47.82, SD = 4.90; Mage father = 50.39, SD = 5.80). The study used a daily diary methodology to test within-person links to establish a temporal order of effects. Over seven consecutive days, adolescents reported on 14 daily negative and positive events. Adolescents, mothers, and fathers reported on adolescents' daily coping efficacy. Multilevel latent profile analysis (MLPA) identified 4 day-level event profiles: "low event day" (34% of days), reflecting low levels of both positive and negative events and low coping efficacy and positive and negative mood; "positive day" (44%), reflecting dominance of intense positive events and corresponding high coping efficacy and positive mood; "mixed day," reflecting a combination of intense positive and negative events with average coping efficacy and positive mood despite high negative mood and impaired coping. Multilevel path analysis showed adolescents reported increased coping efficacy a day after increased academic load, and parents reported increased adolescent coping efficacy a day after positive parent-adolescent interactions. Fathers reported decreased adolescent coping efficacy a day after peer disappointment. Findings suggest positive events predominate in adolescents' lives, and their coping efficacy is sensitive to dynamic changes in the valence of context.

The coping, appraisal, and resilience in aging (CARA) model: Longitudinal findings from the Normative Aging Study.

Resilience is central to understanding how individuals withstand the adverse effects of stress, but there is no generally agreed-upon definition of what constitutes resilience in later life. The present study tests the coping, appraisal, and resilience in aging model, which posits that resilient older adults, when faced with a problem, can draw upon their lifelong experience to minimize coping effort to conserve resources but still maintain a sense of coping efficacy (perceptions of how well they had handled the specific problem). We assessed coping effort and efficacy in 896 men in the Veterans' Affairs Normative Aging Study (Mage in 1993 = 64.46, SD = 6.6, range = 50-89) who were followed for 24 years (1993-2016), providing 3,459 observations. Multilevel modeling showed that coping effort decreased significantly, but coping efficacy showed only modest decreases with age. Group-based multitrajectory models indicated three groups. Struggling Copers (22.4%) had low, stable coping effort and efficacy. Modest Decliners (36.9%) had moderate levels of coping effort and high efficacy, both of which decreased with age. Optimal Copers (40.7%) had initially high coping effort, which declined more steeply, and stable, high coping efficacy. Struggling Copers were highest on neuroticism and pessimism at baseline, while Modest Decliners were lowest on neuroticism and highest on extraversion. The complex pattern of results suggested that both resource conservation and decreasing perceived control models were applicable, but to different subgroups. Nonetheless, nearly 80% of the sample were able to sustain high levels of coping efficacy, indicating good resilience in later life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Social isolation, coping efficacy, and social well-being over time in patients with lung cancer.

500 Background: Coping efficacy and social isolation are each uniquely related to social well-being among those with lung cancer, yet little is known how they fluctuate in the context of one’s CT scan. For the present study, researchers tested the cross-sectional relationship between social isolation and social well-being, as well as the longitudinal relationship between monthly coping efficacy and social well-being in the months before one’s CT scan. Methods: 25 patients with lung cancer who were within 6 months of their upcoming CT scan were recruited. These participants were predominantly white (80%; Black: 12%), women (96%), and were between 43 and 78 years old ( M = 62.33, SD = 8.10). Baseline surveys asked about demographic information and social isolation; the repeated monthly surveys asked about coping efficacy and social well-being every 30 days until one’s scan. Results: During months when participants reported high coping efficacy, they also reported increases in social well-being (γ10 = 0.07, t = 2.44, p = .02). In addition, if the participant reported high levels of social isolation at baseline, they reported low levels of social well-being (γ01 = -0.63, t = -3.01, p = .007). Our model accounted for 10.53% of the within-person variance, and 26.65% of the between-person variance, in monthly social well-being. Conclusions: This longitudinal study was the first to look at how social isolation and coping efficacy relate to social well-being in a cancer-specific context. That is, among those with lung cancer who are approaching their upcoming CT scans. Future research should identify specific mechanisms to intervene that could help patients with lung cancer improve their social well-being as they approach their recurrent scans.

Mental health and its psychosocial predictors during national quarantine in Italy against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

ABSTRACT Background and Objectives: This research aimed at investigating the psychological impact of national quarantine in Italy, and the psychosocial factors that are may influence this impact. Methods: A convenience sample of 1569 people living in Italy responded to an online survey using virtual snowball sampling. The questionnaire included measures of mental health symptoms, well-being, worry about the epidemic of COVID-19, likelihood of infection, coping efficacy, trust in the institutional response to the epidemic of COVID-19, financial loss, perceived house size, and media exposure to COVID-19 outbreak. Results: Gender (women), lower age, occupational status (employed), lower media exposure, higher worry, lower coping efficacy, lower trust in institutions, and negative attitudes toward quarantine measures predicted mental health symptoms. In addition, results showed that gender (men), higher age, socioeconomic status, occupational status (unemployed), higher coping efficacy and trust in institutions, and positive attitudes toward quarantine measures predicted well-being. The estimated prevalence of common mental disorders was 31.7% among men and 52.3% among women. The scores on well-being were significantly lower in the current study than in a previous validation study. Conclusion: The results of the study provided both theory and practical implications in understanding mental health and its psychosocial predictors during national quarantine.

A Latent Growth Modeling Analysis of the Effects of Perceived Supports, Perceived Barriers, and Coping Efficacy on Latina/o Engineering Students’ Life Satisfaction

Using latent growth modeling (LGM) procedures, this study tested a model of Latina/o engineering students’ life satisfaction based on Lent and Brown’s social cognitive well-being model with a sample of 342 Latina/o engineering students attending a Hispanic-serving institution. Participants completed measures of perceived supports, perceived barriers, and coping efficacy at 3 points, each approximately 1 year apart, and life satisfaction at Time 3. The results indicated that perceived supports, perceived barriers, and coping efficacy changed across time. Specifically, perceived supports and coping efficacy decreased and perceived barriers increased over time. Individual differences were found in the growth patterns of these constructs, with participants with low perceived supports and coping efficacy at Time 1 demonstrating more decrease and those with low perceived barriers at Time 1 demonstrating more increase in these variables over time. In the multivariate LGM analysis, the proposed model fit the data, but only partial support was found for the relations among the variables. Specifically, high perceived barriers were negatively related to low coping efficacy, high perceived supports were positively related to high coping efficacy, and high coping efficacy was positively related to high life satisfaction. However, coping efficacy did not mediate the relations between supports and barriers to life satisfaction. Finally, growth in perceived barriers was negatively related to the decline of coping efficacy. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Extracurricular Activity Intensity and Adolescent Risk-Taking: Exploring Interactive Effects of Contextual Risk and Coping Efficacy

Adolescence is a period of heightened risk-taking. Therefore it is important to investigate positive settings that can facilitate healthy adolescent development and reduce risk-taking behaviour. This study investigated the relations between non-sporting extracurricular activity participation intensity and risky behaviour. Adolescents’ coping efficacy was tested as a moderator between extracurricular activity participation and risk-taking among adolescents at different levels of contextual risk. Adolescents (N = 1,599) across Western Australia were surveyed. Results for moderately at-risk youth indicated a significant interaction, such that greater activity intensity was associated with less risk-taking for adolescents with higher coping efficacy. However, higher intensity activity participation predicted more risk-taking for adolescents with low coping efficacy.

Mentoring as a Mediator or Moderator of the Association between Racial Discrimination and Coping Efficacy in Urban, Low‐Income Latina/o Youth

The aim of this study was to examine the associations among mentoring relationship quality (i.e., relational and instrumental quality), racial discrimination and coping efficacy with racial discrimination. Three social support models were tested, including the stress buffering, support mobilization, and support deterioration models. Participants were 257 urban, low-income Latina/o high school students, who completed surveys in both 9th and 10th grades. While controlling for gender and coping efficacy with discrimination in 9th grade, results supported the social support deterioration model. Specifically, there was a significant indirect effect of racial discrimination in 9th grade on coping efficacy in 10th grade through instrumental mentoring quality. As racial discrimination increased, mentoring quality decreased and then coping efficacy decreased. We also found that more racial discrimination in 9th grade was significantly associated with lower coping efficacy in 10th grade, and higher instrumental mentoring quality in 9th grade was significantly associated with higher coping efficacy in 10th grade, while controlling for gender and coping efficacy in 9th grade. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Long-term effects of the Family Bereavement Program on spousally bereaved parents: Grief, mental health problems, alcohol problems, and coping efficacy.

This study reports on the findings from a 6-year follow-up of a randomized trial of the Family Bereavement Program (FBP) on the outcomes for spousally bereaved parents. Spousally bereaved parents (N = 131) participated in the trial in which they were randomly assigned to receive the FBP (N = 72) or literature control (N = 59). Parents were assessed at four time points: pretest, posttest, and 11-month and 6-year follow-up. They reported on mental health problems, grief, and parenting at all four time periods. At the 6-year follow-up, parents reported on additional measures of persistent complex bereavement disorder, alcohol abuse problems, and coping efficacy. Bereaved parents in the FBP as compared to those in the literature control had lower levels of symptoms of depression, general psychiatric distress, prolonged grief, and alcohol problems, and higher coping efficacy (for mothers) at the 6-year follow-up. Multiple characteristics of the parent (e.g., gender, age, and baseline mental health problems) and of the spousal death (e.g., cause of death) were tested as moderators of program effects on each outcome, but only 3 of 45 tests of moderation were significant. Latent growth modeling found that the effects of the FBP on depression, psychiatric distress, and grief occurred immediately following program participation and were maintained over 6 years. Mediation analysis found that improvement in positive parenting partially mediated program effects to reduce depression and psychiatric distress, but had an indirect effect to higher levels of grief at the 6-year follow-up. Mediation analysis also found that improved parenting at the 6-year follow-up was partially mediated by program effects to reduce depression and that program effects to increase coping efficacy at the 6-year follow-up was partially mediated through reduced depression and grief and improved parenting. FBP reduced mental health problems, prolonged grief, and alcohol abuse, and increased coping efficacy of spousally bereaved parents 6 years later. Mediation pathways for program effects differed across outcomes at the 6-year follow-up.

Identifying treatment responders and predictors of improvement after cognitive-behavioral therapy for juvenile fibromyalgia

The primary objective of this study was to estimate a clinically significant and quantifiable change in functional disability to identify treatment responders in a clinical trial of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for youth with juvenile fibromyalgia (JFM). The second objective was to examine whether baseline functional disability (Functional Disability Inventory), pain intensity, depressive symptoms (Children’s Depression Inventory), coping self-efficacy (Pain Coping Questionnaire), and parental pain history predicted treatment response in disability at 6-month follow-up. Participants were 100 adolescents (11–18years of age) with JFM enrolled in a recently published clinical trial comparing CBT to a fibromyalgia education (FE) intervention. Patients were identified as achieving a clinically significant change in disability (ie, were considered treatment responders) if they achieved both a reliable magnitude of change (estimated as a ⩾7.8-point reduction on the FDI) using the Reliable Change Index, and a reduction in FDI disability grade based on established clinical reference points. Using this rigorous standard, 40% of patients who received CBT (20 of 50) were identified as treatment responders, compared to 28% who received FE (14 of 50). For CBT, patients with greater initial disability and higher coping efficacy were significantly more likely to achieve a clinically significant improvement in functioning. Pain intensity, depressive symptoms, and parent pain history did not significantly predict treatment response. Estimating clinically significant change for outcome measures in behavioral trials sets a high bar but is a potentially valuable approach to improve the quality of clinical trials, to enhance interpretability of treatment effects, and to challenge researchers to develop more potent and tailored interventions.

Social network and health outcomes among African American cardiac rehabilitation patients

Objective We tested the hypotheses that the number of close social network members and the health-related support provided by social network members are predictive of coping efficacy and health behaviors. Methods Cross-sectional data were collected from 115 African Americans enrolled in cardiac rehabilitation. Measures included the social convoy model, SF-36, the Social Interaction Questionnaire, the Patient Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, and an investigator-developed assessment of health behaviors. Results Bivariate relationships were found between the number of inner network members and coping efficacy ( r = .19, P < .05) and health behaviors ( r = .18, P < .06), and between health-related support and coping efficacy ( r = .22, P < .05) and health behaviors ( r = .28, P < .001). Regression analyses support the hypothesis that close network members predicted better coping efficacy (β = .18, P < .05) and health behaviors (β = .19, P < .05). Health-related support also predicted coping efficacy (β = .23, P < .05) and health behaviors (β = .30, P < .01). Conclusion African Americans with larger inner networks have more health support, better health behaviors, and higher coping efficacy. The number of close social network members and related health-support promote health through health behaviors and coping efficacy.

Coping with displacement from Hurricane Katrina: predictors of one-year post-traumatic stress and depression symptom trajectories

This study examined predictors of symptom trajectories of 93 adult survivors of Hurricane Katrina who were displaced and relocated to Colorado. Survivors were interviewed within six months of the hurricane and then again six months later. Four symptom trajectories were identified for clinical levels of depression and post-traumatic stress: resilient, recovered, delayed onset, and chronic. High levels of adaptive coping and coping efficacy characterized the resilient groups and low levels of both characterized the chronic groups. The recovered groups were characterized by low levels of adaptive coping coupled with high coping efficacy, and the delayed groups were characterized by high secondary control coping in the presence of low primary control coping, though some symptom-specific differences were found for these two groups. African American (67%) participants did not differ from European American (28%) participants in terms of membership in trajectory groups, though analyses revealed that displacement stress and positive religious coping were especially relevant predictors for African American participants. The results are interpreted in light of the Conservation of Resources Theory (Hobfoll, 2001) and implications for treatment and preventive intervention are discussed.

Invited commentary to the paper “Coping and survival in patients with leukemia undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation—long term follow-up of a prospective study” by Norbert Grulke et al. ( OJPR/2004/3520)

We investigated the preference and perceived efficacy of coping strategies used to manage chemotherapy-induced nausea and emesis in 57 pediatric oncology patients. Over 85% of children preferred “Wishful Thinking,” “Emotional Regulation,” and “Distraction” to cope with nausea, and “Emotional Regulation” to manage emesis. Stepwise logistic regression analyses revealed that the coping strategy used and its perceived efficacy depended upon patient age and gender, severity of symptom distress, time elapsed from last chemotherapy, experience, and whether nausea or emesis was the identified problem. Successful copers, defined as those reporting high coping efficacy and minimal distress, composed only 25% of the sample. These children most often used “Problem Solving” combined with “Social Support” for symptom management. Successful coping was also associated with lower emetogenic potential of chemotherapy. The significance of these results is discussed for identifying high-risk children who may benefit from coping interventions.

Unique Effects of Depressive and Anxious Symptomatology on Daily Stress and Coping

Abstract We used a 14-day diary design to evaluate the unique effects of college students' depressive and anxious symptomatology on the occurrence of specific types of daily events, primary and secondary appraisals, use of specific coping strategies, and end-of-day mood. Initial depression was associated with more negative secondary appraisals, less frequent use of social support coping, muted positive affective reactions to low stress ratings and high coping efficacy ratings, and stronger reductions in positive affect in response to emotion expression coping. In contrast, initial anxiety was associated with less frequent reporting of academic stressors and less effective use of problem-focused coping. These findings suggest that depression and anxiety have unique effects on the daily stress and coping process, and they support the construct validity of Clark and Watson's (1991) tripartite model of depression and anxiety.

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and emesis in pediatric cancer patients: An analysis of coping strategies

We investigated the preference and perceived efficacy of coping strategies used to manage chemotherapy-induced nausea and emesis in 57 pediatric oncology patients. Over 85% of children preferred “Wishful Thinking,” “Emotional Regulation,” and “Distraction” to cope with nausea, and “Emotional Regulation” to manage emesis. Stepwise logistic regression analyses revealed that the coping strategy used and its perceived efficacy depended upon patient age and gender, severity of symptom distress, time elapsed from last chemotherapy, experience, and whether nausea or emesis was the identified problem. Successful copers, defined as those reporting high coping efficacy and minimal distress, composed only 25% of the sample. These children most often used “Problem Solving” combined with “Social Support” for symptom management. Successful coping was also associated with lower emetogenic potential of chemotherapy. The significance of these results is discussed for identifying high-risk children who may benefit from coping interventions.