Role Of Coping Strategies Research Articles

Hyperventilation in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: The role of coping strategies

Hyperventilation has been suggested as a concomitant and possible maintaining factor that may contribute to the symptom pattern of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Because patients accepting the illness and trying to live with it seem to have a better prognosis than patients chronically fighting it, we investigated breathing behavior during different coping response sets towards the illness in patients with CFS ( N=30, CDC criteria). Patients imagined a relaxation script (baseline), a script describing a coping response of hostile resistance, and a script depicting acceptance of the illness and its (future) consequences. During each imagery trial, end-tidal PCO 2 (Handheld Capnograph, Oridion) was measured. After each trial, patients filled out a symptom checklist. Results showed low resting values of PetCO 2 overall, while only imagery of hostile resistance triggered a decrease and deficient recovery of PetCO 2. Also, more hyperventilation complaints and complaints of other origin were reported during hostile resistance imagery compared with acceptance and relaxation. In conclusion, hostile resistance seems to trigger both physiological and symptom perception processes contributing to the clinical picture of CFS.

Moderating Effects of Religious/Spiritual Coping in the Relation Between Perceived Stress and Psychological Well-Being

Although the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms is well documented, less is known about the role of coping strategies, in particular strategies for coping via religious or spiritual means. To investigate the relationships among these factors, data was collected with questionnaires completed by 127 MSW students at a northeastern university in 2003. Significant Stress×Religious/Spiritual Coping buffer interactions were found in the relationship between stress and depression. EQS 6.1 and hierarchical moderated regression analysis showed that religious/spiritual coping reduced the impact of stress on depression. Implications for practice are discussed.

The role of coping strategies in quality of life of adolescents with asthma

This study aimed to determine which coping strategies are associated with better quality of life (QOL) in adolescents with asthma. Furthermore, because coping can mediate the effects of health stressors on QOL, this study also examined the indirect effect of asthma severity on QOL via coping. Between January and May 2003, 553 Dutch adolescents with asthma (aged 12–6 years) completed questionnaires assessing coping strategies, symptom severity, overall QOL and positive QOL domain (positive effects of asthma domain). The relations between symptom severity, coping strategies and QOL were tested with structural equation modelling (SEM). Symptom severity affected overall and positive QOL, both directly and indirectly via coping. The coping strategies restricted lifestyle and worrying about asthma were associated with poorer overall QOL. The use of the coping strategies restricted lifestyle, positive reappraisal, and information seeking was related to increased scores on the positive QOL domain, whereas hiding asthma was related to lower scores on the positive QOL domain. The findings of this study suggest that coping mediates the effect of symptoms of asthma on QOL among adolescents with asthma. Several suggestions for interventions to improve asthma-specific QOL are discussed.

Pain during mammography: the role of coping strategies

This study examined the pain/discomfort ratings during mammography and their relationship to pain-coping strategies. Prior to their mammogram in order to assess how they cope with day-to-day pain experience 220 women completed an Iranian translation of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (IR-CSQ). Immediately after mammography, all subjects completed a modified version of the IR-CSQ to assess their coping style with pain during mammography. Ratings of pain/discomfort during the mammogram were also collected, using a 100-mm Visual Analog Scale and a 6-point Pain/Discomfort Rating Scale (PRDS). Up to 92% of the women reported that the mammogram examination was painful. However, considerable variability in pain ratings was found, with some women reporting severe pain and others reporting little or no pain. While the ratings of coping effectiveness in facing day-to-day pain experience were not significantly related to mammography pain ratings, there was a significant association between the ratings of coping efficacy in facing mammography pain specifically and measures of mammography pain. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses revealed that while higher use of catastrophising and coping self-statements in facing mammography pain were predictors of more severe pain during mammography, higher use of ignoring pain sensations was predictive of less severe pain during mammography. The potential significance of these findings for identifying patients at risk of poor adjustment to chronic pain is discussed.

Coping Strategies as Predictors and Mediators of Disability-Related Variables and Psychosocial Adaptation

This study examined the relationships among four predictors (functional limitations, perceived visibility of condition, and two disability-associated affective responses— anxiety and depression), coping strategies, and two outcome measures of psychosocial adaptation to disability (disability-specific psychosocial adjustment and life satisfaction). Based on responses from 121 university students with disabilities, two models (additive and mediational) were tested to investigate the contribution of coping strategies to psychosocial adaptation to disability. The findings of this exploratory study suggest that coping strategies add significantly to the variance in both outcome measures after controlling for the contribution of disability-related factors. The role of coping strategies as mediators between the set of predictor and outcome variables was mostly unsupported in this sample, however. Reasons for the latter finding are briefly outlined, along with the implications for rehabilitation research and practice.

Fathers of children with diabetes mellitus and their role in coping strategies in the family.

Family structure and social disadvantage are thought to have adverse effects on the outcome of diabetes mellitus (DM). While there are data on family functioning and maternal coping in relation to some measures of metabolic control, little is known about the role of fathers in respect to coping and outcome of DM. We are presently conducting prospective studies to assess the role of fathers in families with children with DM. In addition, family functioning and psychosocial factors are being investigated in relation to putative effects on metabolic control. Structured questionnaire studies are being performed in 182 children and adolescents with type 1 DM. Similar questions are also put to the families. Mean age of the patients is 12.9 years, range 1.8-18 years, with an equal distribution between the sexes. Metabolic control as assessed by the mean of the last four HbA1c values (HPLC method; intra-assay coefficient of variation [CV] 2.1-3.3%, interassay CV 2.6-4.3%) is 7.4%; range 5.0-14.8%. The patients attend outpatient clinics at an average interval of six weeks. Structured educational in-patient programs are attended by less than one-third of the patients. There is a large prevalence of unemployment in the families. In the majority of cases mothers accompany their children to the clinic while fathers are absent. It is the mothers who adjust daily insulin doses, take care of food preparation and ensure the children's self-assessment. In conclusion, our preliminary data suggest that the role of fathers in diabetes management is rather passive and emotionally labile. Special educational programs targeted towards the fathers of children with DM and towards improving parental interactive strategies are urgently needed to better use parental resources of coping and support.

The relationship between coping strategies and interrogative suggestibility

Interrogative suggestibility refers to the tendency of individuals to accept suggestive information in an interrogative context. Within the criminal justice system, this factor has substantial implications in relation to the obtaining of written statements, admissions from suspects, and, most importantly, false confessions. Gudjonsson and Clark (1986) have developed a theoretical model of suggestibility, and contend that suggestibility is mediated by an individual's cognitive abilities, mental state and personality characteristics. In particular, they emphasise the role of coping strategies, positing that active/problem‐focused coping strategies lead to greater resistance to suggestive information whilst avoidant/emotion‐focused strategies lead to increased susceptibility to accepting suggestive information. The current study evaluated this aspect of Gudjonsson and Clark's (1986) model, using the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (Gudjonsson, 1984) and the COPE (Carver, Scheier & Weintraub, 1989) inventory. Additionally, it was evaluated whether dispositional or situational coping strategies would be a better predictor of interrogative suggestibility. Sixty‐one participants completed both measures in the belief that they were participating in an investigation into memory. The results failed to support the hypothesized relationship between methods of coping and levels of interrogative suggestibility. Additionally, neither situational nor dispositional coping strategies were found to better predict interrogative suggestibility. The results are discussed in terms of Gudjonsson's (1988) previous findings and current theories on coping behaviour.

Psychosocial Adaptation to Spinal Cord Injury: The Role of Coping Strategies

This paper reviews the literature on the role played by coping efforts in fostering psychosocial adaptation to spinal cord injury. Following an introductory discussion of coping in general, and coping with chronic illnesses and disabilities more specifically, the review focuses on the research literature (1980-1999) regarding coping with spinal cord injuries. The paper continues with a summary of findings based on over 30 empirical studies focusing on coping with this disability. Among the prominent findings are: (a) more successful psychosocial adaptation is generally associated with higher levels of ego strength and internal locus of control; and (b) better adaptation is positively related to adoption of problem-focusing and seeking social support, and negatively related to wish-fulfilling fantasy and alcohol/drug abuse. The paper concludes by providing the reader with rehabilitation-related clinical and research implications

The Interactional Nature of Depression

The Interactional Nature of Depression. Thomas Joiner, and James C. Coyne, (Eds.)- Washington, DC: American Psychological Association (www.apa.orrg). 1999, 440 pp., $39.95 (hardcover). In 1976, James Coyne published a paper on the interactional context of depression that set the proverbial cat among the pigeons of existing psychological theories of the disorder. Whereas most theories invoked intrapsychic processes and structures, Coyne proposed that depressed people's repetitive reassurance seeking and doubting of the genuineness of the feedback that results, brings about a destructive cycle of interpersonal rejection that deepens their misery. More than two decades later, Coyne has teamed up with Thomas Joiner to review research and theory motivated by the interpersonal approach, and by the desire to integrate it with other psychological accounts of depression. The product of their labors is a hefty, well-produced volume that offers a vivid portrait of the state-of-the-art, warts and all. The book's 14 chapters bring together a collection of prominent researchers, many of them central figures in the cognitive approach to psychopathology and its treatment. Most chapters offer exhaustively referenced reviews of particular research literatures-almost one quarter of the book's pages are consumed by reference lists!-combined with models intended to integrate interpersonal variables into other established accounts. Generally, the contributors suggest directions for future research, and several draw out implications for the practice of psychotherapy for depression. Chapters provide overviews of the interpersonal dimensions of depression (Joiner, Coyne & Blalock; Hammen; Sacco), and discuss the roles of coping strategies (Holahan, Moos, & Bonin), loneliness and shyness (Dill & Anderson), maladaptive schemas (Schmidt, Schmidt, & Young), self-esteem vulnerability (Roberts & Monroe), self-verification (Giesler & Swann), and marital discord (Anderson, Beach, & Kaslow). Two chapters focus on developmental issues-the origins of attributional style (Haines, Metalsky, Cardamone, & Joiner) and the effects of depressed parents and family functioning on children (Cummings & Davies)-and two more present emerging interpersonal theories of depression, one feminist and phenomenological (Jack), the other evolutionary or "sociophysiological" (Gardner & Price). Coyne rounds out the book with a bracing postscript. Although all of the chapters deserve a close reading, a few stand out. Haines and colleagues give long overdue attention to the sources of depressogenic attributional style, a construct that is usually taken as a given in adulthood and ascribed to unspecified early experiences. Haines and colleagues show that a great variety of developmental influences, chiefly social, may bear on this important cognitive variable. Roberts and Monroe provide a masterful review of the relations between self-esteem and depression, demonstrating that in addition to the simple level of self-esteem, researchers and therapists must attend to its reactivity, stability, and regulatory processes. These variables may be more illuminating about the nature and etiology of depression, and are both comprehensible in terms of socialcognitive mechanisms and affected by social experiences. Giesler and Swann offer a fascinating review of the extensive and often counterintuitive research findings on self-confirmation in depression, according to which depressives desire verification of negative self-views and seek interactants who act as accomplices in maintaining these views. Anderson and colleagues give a fine and wide-ranging review of the links between marital distress and depression, which also has the merit of drawing heuristic connections to attachment theory. Coyne's postscript is a particularly important chapter, sounding some sour notes about the research presented in the preceding chapters. …

Stratégies d'adaptation, symptômes dépressifs, anxiété et bien-être au sein des personnes âgées vivant en milieu institutionnel

ABSTRACTOlder persons living in Residential and extended care centres (RECC) have to cope with various Stressors associated with institutional life. While some residents cope successfully, a large proportion of this population presents difficulties in adjustment. Knowledge about the role of coping strategies in the adjustment process to nursing home Stressors is limited to strategies used in the first few months following admission to RECC. The goal of this exploratory study was to determine how various coping strategies are related to depressive symptoms, anxiety and well-being of 90 residents living in RECC for more than three months. Individual interviews were used to collect the data. Significant correlations were observed between measures of psychological adaptation and the strategies of escape-avoidance and seeking social support. These results confirm than certain coping strategies are associated with adaptation to life in RECC.

Policy Dysfunction in Humanitarian Organizations: The Role of Coping Strategies, Institutions, and Organizational Culture

The proposed model helps explain dysfunctional dynamics within international humanitarian organizations (HOs) as a product of aid workers' efforts to cope with the psychological distress arising from their work. Through four stages of individual psychological coping strategies, aid workers collectively contribute to the development and perpetuation of institutions, which shape and reinforce the beliefs and behaviour of HO personnel. The discussion demonstrates how the resulting characteristics of HO culture—defensiveness and delusion—impede learning and innovation in the policy process. By exploring the manifestations and implications of this culture type, we can better interpret the behaviour of a unique, yet increasingly significant group of political actors often neglected by current organization theory. Once better understood, HOs can improve personnel support, thereby positively modifying organizational culture to better fulfil their objectives.

The role of coping strategies in protecting individuals against long-term tranquillizer use.

This research examined the influences of social circumstances, coping and level and length of drug intake on dependence and withdrawal from benzodiazepine use. A sample of long-term benzodiazepine users were followed up over a period of six months. At first interview the participants' drug intake and anxiety and depression levels were established and the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule (LEDS) was administered. At follow up these measures were repeated and individuals' coping strategies for dealing with dependence were also assessed. By the time of the follow-up interview slightly more than half of the participants (57 per cent) had either withdrawn completely from benzodiazepine medication or had reduced their daily dose. Analyses showed that reduction was unrelated to factors associated with the drugs themselves, to the severity of life-events and difficulties, to lessening of difficulties or to the occurrence of positive life-events. Significant associations, however, were found between participants' coping responses in relation to long-term benzodiazepine use and the individuals' reduction or cessation of benzodiazepine use in the six month study period. The study showed that in the absence of positive life-events and in spite of ongoing difficulties actively confronting the problems of benzodiazepine use can have a positive effect on outcome. The findings suggest that interventions which encourage cognitive, behavioural and affective aspects of coping are those which would appear to be most likely to succeed.

Caring for an institutionalized parent: The role of coping strategies.

Caring for an institutionalized parent: The role of coping strategies.

Caring for an institutionalized parent: the role of coping strategies.

This study extends knowledge about the stresses of caregiving by considering relationships between adult children and their institutionalized parents. Although previous studies have indicated that emotional strains experienced by adult children with institutionalized parents are of similar magnitude to those experienced by caregivers in the community, little attention has been paid to effects that may mediate the stressor-mental health relationship. Coping strategies were hypothesized as mediators of the stressor-mental health relationship. Data from 424 adult children with a parent living in a nursing home revealed that emotion-focused coping strategies mediate the relationship between stressors and mental health, whereas problem-focused coping strategies do not mediate this relationship. Findings emphasize the importance of examining coping strategies as multidimensional entities having differential effects on mental health.

Coping strategies and psychological symptoms in a Japanese sample

The role of coping strategies as moderators in the relationship between hassles and psychological/physical well-being was investigated in a Japanese sample (N = 107). Multiple regression analyses revealed that active-behavioral coping contributed to a negative prediction of depression after partialing out hassles' levels. Emotion-focused coping and avoidance provided significant predictions of physical symptoms, whereas problem-focused coping significantly contributed a negative prediction. The results indicated that active-behavioral and problem-focused coping were moderators, while emotion-focused coping and avoidance were enhancers in the stress-symptoms relationship. The role of coping strategies as moderators did not appear to be influenced by the Japanese cultural environment.

精神身体的健康における対処方略の役割

The role of coping strategies as moderators in the relation between hassles and psychological/physical well-being was explored. Subjects (N=207) completed the revised Ways of Coping Checklist. Factor analysis yielded one problem-focused coping (problem-solving), four emotion-focused coping strategies (positive cognitive coping, wishful thinking, self-blame, and avoidance), and seeking social support. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the use of negative self-talk (wishful thinking and/or self-blame) was a significant predictor of overall psychological and psychosomatic symptoms, regardless of hassles levels. Seeking social support and positive cognitive coping significantly contributed to negative predictions of depression and anxiety, respectively. The hypothesis that some factors of emotion-focused coping serve as stress moderators, whereas other factors operate as stress enhancers was generally supported. Implications for the additional research to develop a broad array of coping scales for Japanese and to examine the role of coping were discussed.

HUMOUR OF PRINCIPALS AND ITS IMPACT ON TEACHERS AND THE SCHOOL

In a paper presented to the U.C.E.A. Conference on Thought and Research in Educational Administration held in honour of Professor Dan Griffiths, Professor Donald Willower drew the participants' attention to the existence of evidence of a special brand of humour in educational administration subcultures. Willower categorised this humour as the “war story” variety, and suggested such humour may turn what could be considered a personal attack on the administration into a less threatening, amusing incident and, when expressed in meetings with the members of the subculture, seemed to evoke shared ordeals, common meanings and social support. Wood, in studying coping mechanism in a British high school, concluded that humour and laughter played a major role in coping strategies of teachers and students alike. The positions raised by these authors prompted certain questions regarding humour and its importance to school communities and became the stimulus for the study reported here into the relationship of humour to the role of the school principal, and the implications of such a relationship for research in education. This article outlines the rationale for studying the humour of principals, the methodology of the study, its findings and conclusions.

Partial melting in the Central Gneiss Complex near Prince Rupert, British Columbia

<h3>Objectives:</h3> Previous evidence suggests the role of psychological stress in triggering the onset of autoimmunity. We aimed to investigate whether stress following major and minor life events could precede the onset of primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS). The role of coping strategies and social support, as compensating buffering mechanisms, was also explored. <h3>Methods:</h3> 47 patients with pSS were compared with two control groups: 35 patients with lymphoma (disease controls, DC) and 120 healthy controls (HC) with disease onset within the previous year. All subjects completed questionnaires assessing the occurrence of major and minor stressful events, coping strategies and social support prior to disease onset. Data analysis was performed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. <h3>Results:</h3> A higher number of patients with pSS reported the occurrence of negative stressful life events prior to disease onset compared with patients with lymphoma and HC, while the number and impact of daily hassles did not differ between the three groups. Coping strategies were defective and the overall social support was lower in patients with pSS compared with DC and HC groups. In the multivariate model, pSS status was associated with maladaptive coping and lower overall social support relative to DC and HC, as well as with an increased number of negative stressful life events compared with HC but not DC. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> Prior to disease onset, patients with pSS experience high psychological stress following major negative life events, without developing satisfactory adaptive coping strategies to confront their stressful life changes. Lack of social support may contribute to the relative risk of disease development.