Self-reported Coping Strategies Research Articles

In Their Own Words

The present study developed a typology of self-reported coping strategies used by older adults in adapting to vision impairment using qualitative analyses. Narrative data were examined from three previous quantitative studies of adaptation to vision loss. Major themes in coping with vision loss included difficulty in balancing norms of independence with the functional losses resulting from eye disease, and the importance of the informal social network. Importantly, a number of coping mechanisms that have not been examined in prior quantitative work were identified through the present qualitative analyses. Implications of this typology of self-reported coping with age-related vision loss for research and practice are discussed.

The use of preexisting and novel coping strategies in adapting to age-related vision loss.

Research has proposed that when faced with a stressor, individuals test novel coping strategies when preexisting strategies fail to reduce perceived threat. However, the utilization of novel coping strategies has received scant empirical attention. This study presents data in the form of spontaneous comments or responses to open-ended questions from three previous quantitative studies of adaptation to age-related vision loss (N = 155, 95, and 343 participants). Self-reported coping strategies were identified using a "Grounded Theory" approach, and then examined for evidence of whether the strategy was recently utilized (novel) or whether it had been used prior to vision loss (preexisting). Results supported the utilization of novel coping strategies in the process of adaptation to a chronic impairment among older adults. Overall, the use of novel coping strategies was found to be associated with better adaptational outcomes, emphasizing the importance of novel coping in response to stressful life circumstances.

Coping strategies and behavior problems of urban African-American children: concurrent and longitudinal relationships.

The development and correlates of 82 inner-city African-American children's coping strategies were examined across three years. Results indicated no change in the mean frequency of self-reported coping strategies over the three years, and a significant correlation of emotion-focused strategies with increased self- and mother-reported behavior problems. Child-reported externalizing problems (and, to a lesser degree, internalizing problems) predicted changes in coping strategies across assessments.

A prospective analysis of stress and academic performance in the first two years of medical school.

This study provides prospective, longitudinal data on the relationship between stress-related measures and academic performance during the first two years of medical school. First year medical students (n = 121) were surveyed prior to beginning classes (wave 1), and again 8 months later (wave 2). Personality variables predisposing to distress (optimism and trait anxiety), stress response (depression and state anxiety), and stress management strategies were assessed at wave 1 and wave 2. Pre-medical academic scores, and grades at the end of five assessment periods over the course of the first 2 years of medical school were also obtained. As expected, pre-medical-school academic performance strongly predicted performance in medical school. Academic performance before and during medical school was negatively related to reported stress levels. On bivariate correlations, there were numerous significant relationships between stress reported at waves 1 and 2, and medical school academic performance assessed after these measures. In addition there were modest negative correlations between self-reported coping strategies of 'humour' and 'wishful thinking', and consequent academic performance. However, the predictive value of stress and its management on prospective academic performance was much decreased once pre-medical-school performance was statistically controlled.

Predictive validity of coping strategies on marital satisfaction: Cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence.

The present study investigated the contribution of coping strategies, when facing marital difficulties, to marital satisfaction, using both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. For the cross-sectional design, both members of 506 couples individually completed the Ways of Coping Questionnaire and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Results revealed that self-reported coping strategies were significant-linear and curvilinear-predictors of both self- and partner-reported marital satisfaction. Results of the longitudinal analyses were based on 2 distinct samples: 95 couples who completed the same questionnaires 4 months later (short-term cohort) and 108 couples who again completed the same questionnaires 1.5 years later (long-term cohort). Significant, but weak, curvilinear relations between coping strategies and subsequent marital satisfaction were observed for women.

Anticipatory nausea and vomiting in pediatric cancer patients: an analysis of conditioning and coping variables.

We examined the influence of cognitive factors and conditioning variables on anticipatory nausea and vomiting symptoms (ANV) in 32 pediatric cancer patients with postchemotherapy nausea and vomiting (PNV) who received ondansetron. The patients were compared with 18 patients without ANV (NANV). Age, gender, history of motion sickness, aggressiveness of the chemotherapy, PNV severity, number of chemotherapy treatments, number, type, and efficacy of self-reported coping strategies, and expectations of severity of postchemotherapy symptoms failed to differentiate the ANV and NANV groups. The amount of subjective distress associated with nausea and vomiting was significantly greater in the ANV group. Among patients in whom ANV developed, level of distress and expectations of severity of postchemotherapy symptoms were positively correlated with the severity of ANV and PNV symptoms. Therefore, greater distress might increase the likelihood of ANV conditioning. Once ANV is conditioned, cognitive factors might influence the severity of symptoms.

Reputation Enhancement Theory and Adolescent Substance Use

Data pertaining to self-reported substance use, reputation enhancement, self-concept and coping strategies were obtained from 1,204 Western Australian metropolitan state high school adolescents using the High School Student Activity Questionnaire. Previous research has identified low self-concept levels and inadequate coping strategies as being major contributors to adolescent substance use. The findings of the present research offer some support for this. A 4 x 2 x 3 MANOVA revealed, however, that reputation enhancement differentiated between current substance users, ex-users and non-users to a greater extent than either self-concept levels or coping strategies. Differences between male and female students, however, were identified more through self-concept and coping variables than by reputation enhancement variables. No interaction effect and no main effect for year group were present. The implications for drug education are discussed.

Scaling the affective domain of pain: a study of the dimensionality of verbal descriptors

This study evaluated the multidimensional structure of affective verbal descriptors and investigated individual differences in the scaling of the descriptors. Patients with chronic low back pain, chronic headache and rheumatoid arthritis (25 per group) and 25 control subjects, matched for age and sex, made similarity judgements of a set of 12 verbal descriptors, e.g., awful, miserable. They also completed the Coping Strategies Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, McGill Pain Questionnaire Short Form, and a measure of verbal intelligence. The similarity data were subjected to individual differences multidimensional scaling (ALSCAL) and the resulting subject weights were related to group membership and the questionnaire data. The multidimensional nature of affective descriptors was confirmed. A 4-dimensional solution was identified: the first 3 dimensions were comparable with previous findings and labeled Tolerability, Focus of Attention and Minor Emotional Reaction. The 4th dimension was enigmatic and attributable to the back pain group. There were significant differences between the groups in their weighting of the dimensions and in their self-reported coping strategies. The results are discussed with reference to an earlier study and the degree of consistency across the studies is noted. Implications of the results for the conceptualisation and measurement of the affective domain of pain report are outlined.

Physical strength and endurance in relation to perceived psychosocial work environment, sleep disturbance and coping strategies in men. Stockholm MUSIC I (MUsculo-Skeletal Intervention Centre) Study Group, Stockholm

The study explored relationships between subjective descriptions of psychosocial work situation, sleep disturbance and coping patterns at work on the one hand and performance during a test of physical strength and perceived effort during a muscular endurance test on the other. The physical strength of the shoulders flexors was measured. The subjective degree of effort was rated 60 and 90 seconds after the beginning of a test of isometric endurance of the neck extensor muscles. Four samples with numbers of about 80 subjects each were studied, first of all one sample of men and one of women from the general working population and secondly a sample of "super male" workers (furniture removers) and a sample of "service oriented female" workers (medical secretaries). The findings indicated that there is a relationship among men between self-reported coping strategies at work and results in the physical tests. Thus, in the random sample of men, individuals who described open coping patterns were found to perceive more effort after one minute and also after one minute and a half of the physical endurance test and were also found to be physically stronger than other individuals. Those who described themselves as less supported socially than other men reported more subjective effort and tended to be physically stronger than other individuals. Among furniture removers, those who described that they had a high degree of covert coping tended to report a higher degree of subjective effort after one minute. Among men in both groups, a high degree of sleep disturbance tended to be associated with more perceived effort during the endurance test

Differences in Young Adolescents' Coping Strategies Based On Gender and Ethnicity

The differences in young adolescent coping responses were investigated to determine whether their reported differences in strategies would vary by gender and/or ethnicity (Anglo or Hispanic). Two hundred forty-four ninth-grade adolescents completed the Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences (A-COPE) to provide a measure of their self-reported coping strategies. The subjects' responses were factor analyzed and a factor structure of 13 variables was constructed that appeared to reflect the developmental level of the subjects. A MANOVA indicated that there were significant differences across gender and ethnicity on these individual factors. Females reported engaging in social relationships and creating change either in actual or cognitive terms more frequently, whereas males tended to rely on stress reduction activities or diversions. Ethnic differences supported the more frequent use of social activities and seeking spiritual support among Hispanics when faced with difficulties. Implications for these results and their usefulness in intervention programs are discussed.

"Back to school"—An evaluation of a re-entry program for school-aged children with cancer

This study describes an evaluation of a program to help eight to 12-year-old children with school re-entry after initial diagnosis and treatment for cancer. The effects of the program on the children's classmates' knowledge about cancer and attitudes towards the child are reported. The self-reported coping strategies used by the returning children for management of major concerns about school re-entry are described. Overall, classmates were well-informed about cancer and described mainly positive feelings towards the returning children and these feelings did not change significantly as a result of the program. Nevertheless, the notion that cancer is always a fatal disease was persistent and many classmates reported personal fears and vulnerabilities associated with cancer. Returning children described teasing as a major concern and reported very individual patterns of coping with teasing. Implications for practice and research are presented.

Stressors and coping in adolescents exposed to Hurricane Hugo.

Theoretical and empirical work on adolescent stress and coping indicates that adolescence is an inherently stressful developmental stage and that adolescents who use active, problem-solving, cognitive coping strategies appear healthier than those who do not. Moreover, coping style, more man the nature of stressors, determines adolescent health. Offer et al. (1981) described healthy adolescents as good copers who are reasonably self-satisfied and comfortable in relationships with parents, peers, and others.Although Lazarus provided the theoretical model for much stress and coping research, few researchers have examined adolescents' self-reported stressors or coping strategies. Coping in all of its forms (i.e., problem-solving coping, emotion-focused coping, and defense mechanisms) is one type of mediator of catastrophic or disaster stressors (Solomon, 1989; Weinrich, Hardin, & Johnson, 1990). No one has yet described healthy coping among adolescents who have faced a catastrophe such as a natural disaster.

Strategies of coping and postinstitutional outcomes.

This study investigated the relationship between diverse self-reported coping strategies and well-being among 253 older adults entering 14 long-term care facilities. Data were also obtained about the nature of coping and the stability of coping strategies from the preinstitutional to three-months postinstitutional period. Results based on a 22-item coping scale revealed three underlying coping dimensions: instrumental, affective, and escape.