Use Of Avoidant Coping Strategies Research Articles

Shame-Proneness as a Risk Factor of Compulsive Buying

Although compulsive buying is understood as an attempt to deal with chronic negative affect, the role of self-conscious emotions has not been explicitly theorized nor empirically examined. One objective of this manuscript was to fill this gap by integrating the escape theory account of compulsive buying with the psychological literature on negative self-conscious emotions. Specifically, shame-proneness was posited to be an important risk factor of compulsive buying severity. Another objective of this study was to examine the use of avoidant coping strategies following buying lapses and relate them with dispositional self-conscious emotions. Specifically, it was hypothesized that the use of avoidant coping strategies following buying lapses would be positively influenced by shame-proneness, and that this effect would be partially mediated by compulsive buying. These hypotheses received strong support from two studies, in which compulsive buying was assessed with different self-report instruments.

Posttraumatic Growth, Coping Strategies, and Psychological Distress in Adolescent Survivors of Cancer

Only recently have researchers begun to empirically examine positive outcomes such as posttraumatic growth in adolescent cancer. This article examines associations between posttraumatic growth, coping strategies, and psychological distress in adolescent cancer survivors. Adolescents who finished cancer treatment 2 to 10 years prior (N = 31) completed self-report measures of posttraumatic growth, coping, symptomatology, and disease-related characteristics. Younger age at diagnosis and less use of avoidant coping strategies predicted lower levels of psychological distress. Adolescents' beliefs that they were more likely to relapse and the use of more acceptance coping strategies predicted higher levels of posttraumatic growth. Adolescent cancer survivors may be capable of experiencing posttraumatic growth. Those who believe they are more prone to relapse and use more acceptance coping strategies are likely to have higher levels of posttraumatic growth. As health care professionals encourage adolescent cancer survivors to use fewer avoidant coping strategies, they can also encourage survivors to use more acceptance coping strategies.

Impact of emotional approach coping and hope on PTSD and depression symptoms in a trauma exposed sample of Veterans receiving outpatient VA mental health care services

The present investigation evaluates the relationship between coping style, dispositional hope, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptom severity in a trauma-exposed Veteran sample. Specifically, we evaluated the adaptive value of emotional avoidant and approach coping strategies and perceptions of hope in a sample of 209 trauma-exposed Veterans receiving outpatient mental health care at a VA facility. Participants completed a life events questionnaire and inventories assessing coping, dispositional hope, and PTSD and depression symptom severity. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted controlling for relevant demographic variables. Greater levels of emotional avoidance and lower levels of emotional expression were significantly associated with increased PTSD and depression symptom severity. Dispositional hope was positively associated with depression symptoms only and perceptions of hope moderated the association between emotional avoidance coping and depression symptoms. Findings highlight the value of emotional coping strategies and perceptions of hope in posttraumatic adjustment. Specifically, employing coping techniques that encourage emotional expression may promote improved adjustment among trauma-exposed individuals, while reduced perceptions of hope and the use of avoidant coping strategies may place individuals at greater risk for depression following exposure to traumatic events.

Self-regulatory Fatigue in Hematologic Malignancies: Impact on Quality of Life, Coping, and Adherence to Medical Recommendations

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an intensive cancer therapy entailing numerous physical, emotional, cognitive, and practical challenges. Patients' ability to adjust and cope with such challenges may depend on their ability to exert control over cognitive, emotional, and behavioral processes, that is, ability to self-regulate. Self-regulatory capacity is a limited resource that can be depleted or fatigued (i.e., "self-regulatory fatigue"), particularly in the context of stressful life events such as cancer diagnosis and treatment. This is one of the first studies to examine self-regulatory fatigue in a cancer population. The current study aimed to (1) extract items for a specific scale of self-regulatory capacity and (2) examine the impact of such capacity on adaptation in patients with hematologic malignancies preparing for HSCT. Factor analysis of four existing scales gauging psychological adjustment and well-being in 314 patients preparing for HSCT (63% male and 89% Caucasian) identified 23 items (α = 0.85) related to self-regulatory control or fatigue. This measure was then examined using existing clinical data obtained from 178 patients (57% male and 91% Caucasian) undergoing treatment for hematologic malignancies in relationship to quality of life, coping, and self-reported adherence to physicians' recommendations. Controlling for pain severity, physical fatigue, and depression, self-regulatory fatigue scores were incrementally associated with decreased quality of life, use of avoidance coping strategies, and decreased adherence to physicians' recommendations. These results emphasize the potential role of self-regulatory capacity in coping with and adjusting to hematologic cancers and future research is warranted.

Procesos Cognitivo-Afectivos en Pacientes con Lumbago Crónico: Un Estudio Cualitativo

Using a qualitative approach, we described the way in which nonspecific chronic low back pain patients perceive their characteristic cognitive and emotional processes, in relation to vital problems and back pain. It stands out the presence of suffering, associated to past events, and the use of avoidance coping strategies. These processes differ from those prevailing in patients with specific or serious back problems. Our results provide a contribution to the identification of psychological aspects involved in the chronification of low back pain.

Relations of SARS-related stressors and coping to Chinese college students' psychological adjustment during the 2003 Beijing SARS epidemic.

This study examined the main and interactive relations of stressors and coping related to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) with Chinese college students' psychological adjustment (psychological symptoms, perceived general health, and life satisfaction) during the 2003 Beijing SARS epidemic. All the constructs were assessed by self-report in an anonymous survey during the final period of the outbreak. Results showed that the relations of stressors and coping to psychological adjustment varied by domain of adjustment. Regression analyses suggested that the number of stressors and use of avoidant coping strategies positively predicted psychological symptoms. Active coping positively predicted life satisfaction when controlling for stressors. Moreover, all types of coping served as a buffer against the negative impact of stressors on perceived general health. These findings hold implications for university counseling services during times of acute, large-scale stressors. In particular, effective screening procedures should be developed to identify students who experience a large number of stressors and thus are at high risk for developing mental health problems. Intervention efforts that target coping should be adapted to take account of the uncontrollability of stressors and clients' cultural preferences for certain coping strategies. A multidimensional battery of psychological adjustment should be used to monitor clients' psychological adjustment to stressors and evaluate the efficacy of intervention.

An investigation of the five-factor model of personality and coping behaviour in sport

Coping strategies are important for performance in sport and individual differences may contribute to the coping strategies adopted by athletes. In this study, we explored the main and interactive effects of the big five personality dimensions on sport-related coping and compared personality profiles of discrete groups of athletes. Altogether, 253 athletes (mean age 21.1 years, s = 3.7) completed the NEO-FFI (Costa & McCrae, 1992), and the Coping Function Questionnaire for Sport (Kowalski & Crocker, 2001). Results showed that extraverted athletes, who were also emotionally stable and open to new experiences (a three-way interaction effect), reported a greater use of problem-focused coping strategies. Conscientious athletes (main effect), and athletes displaying high levels of extraversion, openness, and agreeableness (a three-way interaction effect), reported a greater use of emotion-focused coping strategies, and athletes with low levels of openness, or high levels of neuroticism (main effects), reported a greater use of avoidance coping strategies. Different personality characteristics were observed between higher-level and lower-level athletes, between men and women athletes, and between individual and team sport athletes. These findings suggest that the five-factor model of personality can help distinguish various levels of athletic involvement and can help identify the coping strategies athletes are likely to adopt during participation.

Coping with guilt and shame in the impulse buying context

In this study we investigate how consumers cope with guilt and shame in the impulse buying context. Based on recent psychological research on guilt and shame, we posit that the intensity of shame experienced after buying on impulse will be positively associated with the use of avoidant coping strategies, whereas the intensity of guilt experienced will be positively associated with the use of problem-focused coping strategies. Furthermore, we predict that the use of avoidant coping strategies will be linked with more frequent depressive symptoms and worse financial well-being. These hypotheses were generally supported in an on-line survey of 274 respondents who had recently made an impulse purchase and reported the emotions and coping strategies associated with the event.

Coping with a Cleft II: Factors Associated with Psychosocial Adjustment of Adolescents with a Cleft Lip and Palate and Their Parents

TO explore the factors that predict psychosocial adjustment in young people with a cleft and their parents. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, SETTING: The study used a cross-sectional postal questionnaire design involving young people aged between 11 and 16 and their parents from two cleft services. Data are presented for 91 adolescents and their mothers. Participants completed measures of psychological adjustment, coping, social experiences, satisfaction with appearance, stressful life events, cleft-related factors, and demographic information. Psychosocial adjustment in adolescents was predicted by their social experiences and maternal well-being. Satisfaction with appearance, perceived speech problems, and the use of avoidant coping strategies were also important factors relating to their adjustment. For mothers, adjustment was predicted by use of coping strategies such as self-blame, venting, and acceptance, in addition to perceived problems with their child's hearing and the number of stressful life events experienced. The findings are discussed in relation to the concepts of adjustment, coping, satisfaction with appearance, and maternal mental health. Directions for future research are outlined, and a number of opportunities and challenges for cleft services regarding the provision of timely interventions for this age group and their families are discussed.

On being mindful, emotionally aware, and more resilient: Longitudinal pilot study of police recruits

Police officers are at particular risk of stress when compared to people in other occupational groups. A compounding factor is that police are prone to the use of avoidant coping strategies when attempting to deal with this stress. Evidence suggests that “anti-avoidance” strategies, of acceptance, mindfulness and emotional awareness, are more effective ways of coping, and are linked to both mental health and personal effectiveness. This study followed 60 trainee police officers from the recruit phase into the workplace to determine if these processes predicted more positive mental health and wellbeing in police recruits after 1 year of service. Mindfulness predicted depression at follow-up, while emotion identification skill predicted general mental health. These results suggest that police officers and police organisations may benefit from interventions aimed at developing and promoting mindfulness and emotion identification.

Coping with Guilt and Shame After Gambling Loss

In this study we examined the relations between guilt and shame and coping strategies in response to gambling loss. Based on H.B. Lewis's (Shame & guilt in neurosis. New York: International Universities Press, 1971) account of guilt and shame, we proposed that unlike guilt, the experience of shame involves the attribution of gambling loss to stable and global internal factors (i.e., self-devaluation). We hypothesized that problem gambling severity would be more strongly associated with the intensity of shame than with the intensity of guilt following gambling loss. Further, we hypothesized that the intensity of shame would be positively associated with the use of avoidant coping strategies following gambling loss. Finally, we hypothesized that the intensity of shame would mediate the association between problem gambling severity and the use of avoidant coping. These hypotheses were supported by a retrospective survey of recent gambling losses. Our finding suggests that the experience of shame and the use of avoidant coping strategies to deal with this emotion are central to problem gambling severity.

Psychological approach of antisocial behaviours and associated risk-taking behaviours

Associated with antisocial behaviours, new dangerous practices seem to emerge among adolescents in France (asphyxial games, binge drinking). Several researches considered individual factors leading adolescents to seek risky situations. However,...

Coping with child sexual abuse among college students and post-traumatic stress disorder: The role of continuity of abuse and relationship with the perpetrator

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of child sexual abuse (CSA) on the use of coping strategies and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) scores in young adults, as well as the role of avoidance and approach coping strategies in those PTSD scores in CSA victims. The role of coping strategies was studied by considering their possible interactive effect with the continuity of abuse and the relationship with the perpetrator; the effect of coping strategies on PTSD was also compared between CSA victim and non-CSA victim participants. Method The sample was comprised of 138 victims of CSA and another 138 participants selected as a comparison group. Data about child sexual abuse were obtained from a questionnaire developed for this purpose. Coping strategies were assessed with the How I Deal with Things Scale (Burt & Katz, 1987), while PTSD scores were assessed with the “Escala de Gravedad de Síntomas del Trastorno de Estrés Postraumático” (Severity of Symptoms of PTSD Scale; Echeburúa et al., 1997). Results Participants who had been victims of CSA showed significantly higher PTSD scores and lower approach coping strategies scores. However, differences in avoidance coping strategies between groups were not consistent and did not always follow the expected direction. Only the use of avoidance coping strategies was related to PTSD, participants who used these showing higher scores. The effects of avoidance strategies were stronger in continued than in isolated abuse, in intrafamilial than in extrafamilial abuse and in CSA victims than in non-victims. Conclusions These results confirm the idea of CSA as a high-risk experience that can affect the victim's coping strategies and lead to PTSD to a lesser or greater extent depending on the coping strategy used. Moreover, the role of these strategies varies depending on whether or not the participant is a victim of CSA and on the characteristics of abuse (continuity and relationship with the perpetrator). Practice implications In terms of intervention, a reduction of avoidance-type strategies appears to have a beneficial effect, especially in the case of intrafamilial and/or continued CSA victims. The encouragement of “spontaneous” approach strategies (devised by the victim herself, without counseling) would probably not lead to more positive outcomes in terms of PTSD symptomatology. However, encouraging CSA survivors to engage in therapy aimed at developing effective approach strategies, as other studies have suggested, may help reduce PTSD symptoms.

The role of self-blame and responsibility in adjustment to inflammatory bowel disease.

S. C. Roesch and B. Weiner's (2001) theoretical model of adjustment to chronic illness was adapted to examine the role of attributions, avoidant coping strategies, and disease severity in the psychological adjustment of people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). RESEARCH METHOD AND DESIGN: People with IBD (N = 259) completed an online survey including measures of health-related self-blame and responsibility attributions, disease severity, avoidant coping strategies, and psychological adjustment indexes (coping efficacy, acceptance, and helplessness). Structural equation modeling revealed that avoidant coping mediated the relationship between attributions and psychological adjustment. Attributions of self-blame were directly related to increased avoidant coping, which was in turn associated with poor adjustment. Beliefs about responsibility were associated with decreased use of avoidant coping strategies and subsequently improved psychological adjustment. Higher scores on disease severity were linked to the use of avoidant coping strategies and poor psychological adjustment. Distinguishing between self-blame and responsibility attributions has important implications for understanding the psychological adjustment of individuals with IBD and may be useful for creating intervention strategies aimed at enhancing the psychological functioning of people with IBD.

Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Depressive Symptomatology, Stress and Coping Strategies among Jordanian University Students

The study examined the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with university students suffering from moderate to severe depressive symptoms in Jordan. Eighty-four university students were recruited and assigned randomly to control and intervention groups. Intervention impact was assessed on measures of depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and coping strategies at three time points; baseline, postintervention, and 3-months postintervention. The interventional model used was the Modified Teaching Kids to Cope (MTKC), and the control group received no treatment. Overall, using CBT showed a significant improvement in the outcome measures. At postintervention, students had lower scores on perceived stress, lower depressive symptoms, less use of avoidance coping strategies, and more use of approach coping strategies. The findings are discussed in terms of treatment implications and recommendations for use at academic and health care settings.

Individual differences in shame and depressive symptoms during early adolescence

Previous research suggests a link between shame and depression in adolescence; however, the mechanisms of this relationship are unclear. This study examined a mediation model of shame-proneness and depressive symptoms in adolescents, using avoidant coping as a mediating variable. Eighty-nine girls and 52 boys (age 11–16) completed a series of web-based questionnaires measuring shame-proneness, depressive symptoms, and avoidant coping. Forty-six of these participants (29 girls and 17 boys) completed the questionnaires again during one-year follow-up. With regard to the cross-sectional sample, girls reported more depressive symptoms than boys; however, there were no significant gender differences with regard to reports of shame-proneness or use of avoidant coping strategies. Shame-proneness was a significant predictor of depressive symptoms, accounting for 30% of the variance in depressive symptoms, and avoidant coping was a significant partial mediator of this relationship. Longitudinal analyses revealed that reports of shame-proneness and depressive symptoms were moderately stable over time, and that avoidant coping was a full mediator of the longitudinal relationship between shame-proneness at Time 1, and depressive symptoms at one-year follow-up. Results suggest that how individuals cope with shame is important in predicting depressive symptoms.

A multi-method examination of the effects of mindfulness on stress attribution, coping, and emotional well-being

Mindful individuals orient to ongoing events and experiences in a receptive, attentive manner. This experiential mode of processing suggests implications for the perception of and response to stress situations. Using laboratory-based, longitudinal, and daily diary designs, four studies examined the role of mindfulness on appraisals of and coping with stress experiences in college students, and the consequences of such stress processing for well-being. Across the four studies ( n’s = 65 − 141), results demonstrated that mindful individuals made more benign stress appraisals, reported less frequent use of avoidant coping strategies, and in two studies, reported higher use of approach coping. In turn, more adaptive stress responses and coping partially or fully mediated the relation between mindfulness and well-being. Implications for the role of mindfulness in stress and well-being are discussed.

Chronic thought suppression and posttraumatic symptoms: Data from the Madrid March 11, 2004 terrorist attack

Although a considerable number of people either witnessed directly or in the mass media the traumatic scenes of the terrorist attack that took place on March 11th, 2004 in Madrid, only a fraction of Madrid citizens developed posttraumatic symptoms. In this study, posttraumatic stress-related symptoms, degree of exposure, coping strategies related to the attack, and chronic attempts to avoid intrusive thoughts (i.e., thought suppression) were assessed in a general population Madrid sample ( N = 503) 2–3 weeks after the attacks. Our results showed that participants with higher scores in chronic thought suppression exhibited higher levels of PTSD symptoms. Higher scores in chronic thought suppression also correlated positively with the use of avoidant coping strategies after the attacks. We discuss the possible common roots of avoidance of intrusive thoughts and avoidant coping strategies and the implications of this relationship for the emergence of stress-related symptoms as well as for public health policies.

Mental toughness, optimism, pessimism, and coping among athletes

The concept of mental toughness is widely used, but empirical evidence is required to fully understand this construct and its related variables. The purpose of this paper was to explore the relationship between: (a) mental toughness and coping, (b) mental toughness and optimism, and (c) coping and optimism. Participants were 677 athletes (male 454; female 223) aged between 15 and 58 years (M age = 22.66 years, SD = 7.20). Mental toughness correlated significantly with 8 of the 10 coping subscales and optimism. In particular, higher levels of mental toughness were associated with more problem or approach coping strategies (mental imagery, effort expenditure, thought control, and logical analysis) but less use of avoidance coping strategies (distancing, mental distraction, and resignation). Eight coping subscales were significantly correlated with optimism and pessimism. In conclusion, the relationships observed in this study emphasize the need for the inclusion of coping and optimism training in mental toughness interventions.

Parent Stress and Coping: Waiting for a Child to Receive a Kidney Transplant

The current study examined the degree of parent stress and depression among mothers and fathers of children with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) listed for a kidney transplant, to determine whether demographic factors, stress, and coping would predict parent depression. Eighty-six mothers and 58 fathers of children with ESRD preparing for a kidney transplant completed standardized measures of parent stress related to the child’s chronic illness (PIP), coping style (Brief Cope), and depression (BDI-II). Information about the disease was obtained from the medical record. Maternal depression was predicted by having a lower family income, higher degree of parent stress associated with the child’s illness, and the use of avoidant coping strategies. Paternal depression was only predicted by higher parent stress. Illness related variables did not contribute significantly to the understanding of parent outcomes. Pre-transplant evaluations should screen for elevated levels of stress and depression, and develop interventions to help parents cope with their child’s renal disease.