Showing papers on "Coping (psychology) published in 1992"

Overcoming the Odds: High Risk Children from Birth to Adulthood.

Abstract: This study was a follow-up study of a 1955 cohort of births (614 births) on Kauai island in Hawaii. Follow-up was conducted at birth age one and two years age 10 years age 18 years and 31-32 years. The final sample in adulthood was 505 persons. The sample population was comprised of three ethnic groups (Japanese Filipino and part and full Hawaiian) and 54% grew up in poverty. Births were scored for complications as mild moderate or severe. The interviews conducted with mothers postpartum and at one and two years focused on maternal educational level socioeconomic status and family stability; environmental setting was evaluated as favorable to unfavorable on a five-point scale. The 10 year evaluation assessed school work and school behavioral problems mental abilities and stressful life events and illnesses occurring over the preceding 8 years. The home environment was evaluated on the level of educational stimulation emotional support and socioeconomic status. At 18 years a psychological inventory of self-assurance and interpersonal adequacy was conducted and community records were checked for serious mental health or criminal problems. Quality of life of the home environment was also assessed. The follow-up at age 31-32 years assessed the quality of adult adaptation from community records and interview questions which were self-evaluations of personal success satisfaction with family and social life and psychological well-being. Most of the sample led ordinary lives. Some of the stressful life events in childhood and adolescence were associated with coping problems in adulthood.

The self-regulation of attitudes, intentions, and behavior

Abstract: We argue that attitudes and subjective norms are not sufficient determinants of intentions and that intentions are not a sufficient impetus for action, as maintained by leading theories of attitude. To deepen attitude theory, we address the role of cognitive and emotional self-regulatory mechanisms. The attitude-intention link is hypothesized to depend on conative processes and on certain coping responses directed at the emotional significance of evaluative appraisals

Illness cognition: Using common sense to understand treatment adherence and affect cognition interactions

Abstract: We summarize basic empirical themes from studies of adherence to medical regimens and propose a self-regulatory model for conceptualizing the adherence process The model posits that self-regulation is a function of the representation of health threats and the targets for ongoing coping (symptom reduction, temporal expectancies for change) set by the representation, the procedures to regulate these targets, and the appraisal of coping outcomes The underlying cognitive mechanism is assumed to function at both a concrete (symptom-based schemata) and abstract level (disease labels), and individuals often engage in biased testing while attempting to establish a coherent representation of a health threat It also is postulated that cognitive and emotional processes form partially independent processing systems The coherence of the system, or the common-sense integration of its parts, is seen as crucial for the maintenance of behavioral change The coherence concept is emphasized in examples applying the model to panic and hypochondriacal disorders

Social Stress: Theory and Research

Abstract: This chapter differentiates the stressful consequences of social organization from the stressful antecedents of psychological disorder. The pivotal distinction concerns whether the occurrence of stressors is viewed as socially determined, or as independent of social placement. Recent research is evaluated concerning both the social distribution of stress and social variation in response to stress. Two particularly productive areas of inquiry are also reviewed: self-efficacy as a mediator between social position and stress; and the intersection of macro- and micro-stress processes in economic and occupational spheres, with emphasis upon gender stratification. This review concludes that the occurrence of systemic stressors is not necessarily an indication of a social system run amok but may reflect instead the system functioning precisely as it is supposed to function.

Modeling cognitive adaptation: A longitudinal investigation of the impact of individual differences and coping on college adjustment and performance.

Abstract: Drawing on cognitive adaptation theory, optimism, psychological control, and self-esteem were explored as longitudinal predictors of adjustment to college in a sample of 672 freshmen. Although a direct effect of optimism on adjustment was found, most of the predicted effects were mediated by coping methods. Controlling for initial positive and negative mood, the beneficial effects of optimism, control, and self-esteem on adjustment were mediated by the nonuse of avoidance coping, greater use of active coping, and greater seeking of social support. Alternative models of the causal relations among these variables did not fit the data as well as the a priori mediational model. The results of a 2-year follow-up indicated that self-esteem and control predicted greater motivation and higher grades, controlling for college entrance exam scores. Implications for cognitive adaptation theory and for interventions with populations under stress are discussed.

Stress and Alcohol Use: Moderating Effects of Gender, Coping, and Alcohol Expectancies

Abstract: A stressor vulnerability model of stress-induced drinking was tested in a stratified random sample of 1,316 Black and White adult drinkers. Stressors were highly predictive of both alcohol use and drinking problems among men who relied on avoidant forms of emotion coping or held strong positive expectancies for alcohol's effects and accounted for more than 35% of the variance in alcohol use among the subgroup of men who were high in both vulnerability factors. In contrast, stressors were negatively related among men who were low in both and were unrelated among women regardless of their coping or expectancies. These findings suggest that tension reduction theories of alcohol use are overly broad and that individual characteristics must be considered to account for stress-related effects on alcohol use and abuse. Language: en

Coping with compassion fatigue.

Abstract: Helping others who have undergone a trauma from a natural disaster, accident, or sudden act of violence, can be highly satisfying work. But helping trauma victims can take a toll on even the most seasoned mental health professional. Ongoing exposure to the suffering of those you are helping can bring on a range of signs and symptoms -including anxiety, sleeplessness, irritability, and feelings of helplessness -that can interfere, sometimes significantly, with everyday life and work. In clinicians, including therapists, counselors, and social workers, this response is often referred to as “compassion fatigue” or “secondary post-traumatic stress.”

Religious coping and depression among elderly, hospitalized medically ill men.

Abstract: Objective: The investigators examined the frequency ofreligious coping among older medical inpatients, the characteristics of those who use it, and the relation between this behavior and depression. Method: The subjects were 850 men aged 65 years and over, without psychiatric diagnoses, who were consecutively admitted to the medical or neurological services of a southern Veterans Administration medical center. Religious coping was assessed with a threeitem index. Depressive symptoms were assessed by self-rating (the Geriatric Depression Scale) and observer rating (the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression). Results: One out of every five patients reported that religious thought and/or activity was the most important strategy used to cope with illness. Variables that were associated with religious coping included black race, older age, being retired, religious affiliation, high level of social support, infrequent alcohol use, a prior history ofpsychiatric problems, and higher cognitive functioning. Depressive symptoms were inversely related to religious coping, an association which persisted after other sociodemographic and health correlates were controlled. When 202 men were reevaluated during their subsequent hospitaladmissions an average of6 months later, religious coping was the only baseline variable that predicted lower depression scores at follow-up. Conclusions: These findings suggest that religious coping is a common behavior that is inversely related to depression in hospitalized elderly men. (Am J Psychiatry 1992; 149:1693-1700)

Antecedents of adherence to medical recommendations: results from the Medical Outcomes Study.

Abstract: A longitudinal study of patients with chronic medical diseases (hypertension, diabetes, heart disease) was conducted to identify antecedents of adherence to medical recommendations. Data are from 1198 patients in three health-care provision systems in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston. Nonadherence at the beginning of the study was the strongest predictor of nonadherence 2 years later. Other significant predictors varied by type of adherence outcome. Patients who were younger and who relied upon avoidant coping strategies tended to be less likely to follow their doctor's specific recommendations. Patients who were distressed about their health, used avoidant coping strategies, or who reported worse physical and role functioning were less likely to adhere in general. Patient satisfaction with two features of care (interpersonal quality and financial aspects) was positively related to adherence in some models, but satisfaction with the technical quality of care was negatively associated with adherence to specific recommendations among heart disease patients. Social support contributed to specific adherence among diabetic patients. Implications of the study for medical care providers are discussed.

Optimism, coping, psychological distress, and high-risk sexual behavior among men at risk for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Abstract: In a cohort of gay men responding to the threat of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), dispositional optimism was associated with less distress, less avoidant coping, positive attitudes as a coping strategy, and fewer AIDS-related concerns. Men who knew they were seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were significantly more optimistic about not developing AIDS than men who knew they were seronegative for HIV This AIDS-specific optimism was related to higher perceived control over AIDS and to active coping among seropositive men only and to health behaviors in both serostatus groups. There was no relation of optimism to risk-related sexual behavior. It is concluded that optimism is psychologically adaptive without necessarily compromising health behavior. It is also concluded that it is useful to distinguish between eventbased optimistic expectations and dispositional optimism. Substantial research suggests that people are overly optimistic about the likelihood that they will experience a wide variety of positive life events and successfully avoid a wide variety of adverse events (e.g, Markus & Nurius, 1986; Perloff, 1983; Weinstein, 1980, 1982, 1984). Most people perceive their chances of having a happy life, a stable marriage, talented children, and a satisfying job as higher than those of the average person and their chances of being fired, getting divorced, becoming depressed, or having a major disease as lower than those of the average person. Theoretical accounts of this unrealistic optimism have diverged in terms of whether it is regarded as fundamentally adaptive or maladaptive. Taylor and Brown (1988) suggested that unrealistic optimism about the future is generally adaptive in that it promotes the criteria normally associated with the mentally healthy personality, including feelings of self-worth, the ability to care for and about others, persistence and creativity in the pursuit of goals, and the ability to cope effectively with stress (see also Taylor, 1989). Such optimism may become particularly adaptive when

Development of a Self-Report Coping Measure for Elementary School Children

Abstract: Presents initial findings regarding the reliability and validity of a newly developed self-report coping measure for children. The study also addresses several conceptual issues (e.g., stressor appraisals, cross-situational consistency in coping). As per Roth and Cohen (1986), coping items were conceptualized as comprising approach strategies (i. e., Seeking Social Support, Problem Solving) and avoidance strategies (i. e., Distancing, Internalizing, Externalizing). Fourth through sixth graders (N = 481) rated their use of 34 strategies in response to both an academic and a social stressor. Factor analyses supported this conceptualization of the five coping strategies for each stressor. Internal consistencies and test-retest reliabilities of the coping subscales were in the .6 to .8 range, initial evidence of validity included significant correlations with peer ratings of coping and other indices.

Patterns of coping with cancer.

Abstract: We identified five patterns of coping in a sample of 603 cancer patients: "seeking or using social support," "focusing on the positive," "distancing," "cognitive escape-avoidance," and "behavioral escape-avoidance." Relationships of these coping patterns to sociodemographic characteristics, medical factors, stress appraisals, psychotherapeutic experience, and emotional distress were tested using correlational and regression techniques. Type of cancer, time since diagnosis, and whether a person was currently in treatment had few or no relationships to coping. The specific cancer-related problem (e.g., pain, fear of future) was also not associated with how individuals coped. Perceptions of its stressfulness, however, were related to significantly more coping through social support and more of both forms of escape-avoidance. Coping through social support, focusing on the positive, and distancing was associated with less emotional distress, whereas using cognitive and behavioral escape-avoidance was associated with more emotional distress. Implications of the results for understanding coping processes and intervention with cancer patients are discussed.

Coping with coping assessment: A critical review:

Abstract: The recent literature on self-report measures of coping reactions and strategies is reviewed and critically evaluated. Most of the coping research has focused on assessing several basic coping behaviours or reactions. These include dimensions such as task-oriented coping, emotion-oriented coping, and avoidance-oriented coping. In general, most of the coping scales that have been developed have a variety of psychometric inadequacies. This state of affairs has created at least two major problems in the coping literature: (1) The proliferation of problematic coping scales, sometimes measuring different constructs, makes it difficult to generalize from one population and/or one health problem to another. (2) Since psychometrically sound instruments are a precondition for studying the relationships among coping, personality, and health, scales with psychometric problems preclude obtaining valid and generalizable information about coping behaviour. Methodological problems in the area have seriously restricted the development of a systematic body of theory and empirical knowledge about coping.

Psychological Interventions for Cancer Patients to Enhance the Quality of Life

Abstract: Although the thrust of the nation’s cancer objectives for the year 2000 is prevention and screening, each year approximately 1 million Americans are diagnosed and must cope with the disease and treatments. They do so with the aid of family, friends, and the health care system, but accumulating data suggest that psychological interventions may be important for reducing emotional distress, enhancing coping, and improving “adjustment.” Experimental and quasi-experimental studies of psychological interventions are reviewed, and discussion of treatment components and mechanism is offered. A final section discusses future research directions and challenges to scientific advance.

Gender, appraisal, and coping : a longitudinal analysis

Abstract: For 21 consecutive days, 186 male and female college students recalled the most stressful event of the day, recorded how the event was appraised, and indicated the coping methods they employed as well as their perceived effectiveness and the sequence in which they were used Gender differences in seven coping strategies were examined in terms of frequency of use, extent of use, relative use, and the frequency with which each method was used first in the coping sequence The gender differences that emerged were consistent with a socialization hypothesis that predicts more problem-focused coping in men and more use of support seeking and emotion-focused coping in women Both men and women rated problem-focused coping responses as more generally effective than seeking social support, and the latter as more effective than emotion-focused coping responses Additionally, we explored the roles of stressor type and of threat, challenge, and control appraisals in the observed gender differences

Coping with job stress: A conceptual evaluation framework for coping measures.

Abstract: Intense interest in stress had led to a proliferation of coping measures. To aid researchers in choosing or developing coping measures applicable to job stress, this paper provides a conceptual evaluation framework. The framework serves to evaluate the extent to which coping measures are comprehensive (focus and method of coping) and specific (coping behaviors versus coping effectiveness, coping style, or coping resources; and stress management applications). Both theoretical and organizational stress management perspectives are incorporated.

Identity style and coping strategies.

Abstract: This study examined the relationship between identity style and strategies used to cope with stressors that potentially threaten one's sense of identity. Identity style refers to differences in the way individuals construct and revise or maintain their sense of identity. An informational style involves actively seeking out, evaluating, and utilizing self-relevant information. A normative style highlights the expectations and standards of significant others. A diffuse/avoidant style is characterized by procrastination and situation-specific reactions. Late-adolescent college subjects were administered measures of identity style, ways of coping with academic stressors, and test anxiety. Within this self-as-student context, subjects with diffuse and normative identity styles employed avoidant-oriented coping strategies (wishful thinking, distancing, and tension reduction). An informational style was associated with deliberate, problem-focused coping. Findings are discussed in terms of a process model of identity development.

Young Children's Coping with Interpersonal Anger

Abstract: Although interest in children's stress and coping has increased, little attention has been paid to children's interpersonal coping. During free-play periods, we observed and recorded the causes of preschoolers' (M age = 55.43 months) anger and how they reacted to these provocations (n = 69). Measures of social competence and popularity also were obtained. Preschoolers' coping with interpersonal anger varied in meaningful ways in different contexts and varied for boys and girls. For example, boys tended to vent more than girls, whereas girls tended to actively assert themselves more than boys. Moreover, the findings supported the conclusion that socially competent and popular children coped with anger in ways that were relatively direct and active and in ways that minimized further conflict and damage to social relationships. Results were discussed in light of current research on children's abilities to regulate emotions and social interactions and how these may be related to children's anger-related coping responses.

Towards an understanding of the psychological impact of natural disasters : an application of the conservation resources stress model

Abstract: The current study employed the Conservation of Resources (COR) stress model as a template for understanding short-term adjustment following a natural disaster (Hobfoll, 1989). The following three hypotheses were supported: resource loss was positively related to psychological distress; resource loss was relatively more important in predicting psychological distress than personal characteristics and coping behavior; and, resource loss constitutes a risk factor for the development of clinically significant psychological distress. The theoretical importance of the current findings is discussed, particularly the tendency within disaster literature to confound crisis experiences (e.g., terror) with resource loss experiences (e.g., loss of possessions, loss of social support) when defining degree of disaster exposure. Also, the practical importance of considering resource loss in planning intervention services is highlighted.

Stress in Teaching

Abstract: 1. Introduction 2. Problems Caused by Organization and Curricular Changes Before the Reform Act 1988 3. The Effects of the Reform Act 1988 on Teachers' Roles 4. Problems of Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity 5. Pressures of Childrens' Behaviour 6. Problems Caused by Difficult Working Conditions 7. Pressures on the Senior Management Teams 8. Pressures on Middle Management 9. Identification of Stress Reactions 10. Teachers' Coping Resources 11. Recommendations for Strengthening Organizational Personal and Interpersonal Resources 12. Recommendations for Strengthening Organizational Resources.

Gender differences in symptoms of depression among adolescents.

Abstract: In this paper, we examine sources of gender differences in depressive symptoms among adolescents. Using data collected from a self-administered survey of 306 high school students, we examine differences in the impact of life events, psychosocial resources, and parent-child relationships on levels of psychological distress. Our results confirm a substantial gender difference in level of psychological distress. Moreover, analyses indicate that this gender difference may be due largely to higher levels of self-esteem among males and a tendency for adolescents to perceive their fathers to be overprotective. There is, however, also evidence that other psychosocial resources and parent-child relationships are implicated in this gender difference. We also present analyses to support our contention that parent-child relationships have important effects on the development of psychosocial resources of adolescents that, in turn, influence levels of depressive symptoms. Language: en

Social Competence Promotion with Inner-City and Suburban Young Adolescents: Effects on Social Adjustment and Alcohol Use.

Abstract: This study assessed the impact of school-based social competence training on skills, social adjustment, and self-reported substance use of 282 sixth and seventh graders. Training emphasized broad-based competence promotion in conjunction with domain-specific application to substance abuse prevention. The 20-session program comprised six units: stress management, self-esteem, problem solving, substances and health information, assertiveness, and social networks. Findings indicated positive training effects on Ss' skills in handling interpersonal problems and coping with anxiety. Teacher ratings revealed improvements in Ss' constructive conflict resolution with peers, impulse control, and popularity. Self-report ratings indicated gains in problem-solving efficacy. Results suggest some preventive impact on self-reported substance use intentions and excessive alcohol use. In general, the program was found to be beneficial for both inner-city and suburban students.

Coping with the stress of illness.

Abstract: How can we cope better, or help others to do so? The answer to this depends on knowing what an individual is coping with. This, in turn, depends on the appraisal, by the individual concerned, of the significance of what is happening for well-being--in effect, the source of harm, threat, challenge. Cases of myocardial infarction, cancer and chronic pain have some harms, threats, and challenges in common but there are also unique factors in each illness. The patient with a chronic illness is continually appraising his or her symptoms, pains, disease progression with respect to their significance for well-being and survival, and coping accordingly. The paper presents a microanalytic, contextual and process-centred approach to coping which is part of a broad system of thought, emphasizing cognitive appraisal and the person's ongoing relationships with the environment as factors of his or her emotional life. Implications for prevention and treatment of illness in a perspective of health promotion are discussed as well as the need for research to predict long-term outcome from stress and coping.

Coping with hearing voices: an emancipatory approach.

Abstract: A questionnaire comprising 30 open-ended questions was sent to 450 people with chronic hallucinations of hearing voices who had responded to a request on television. Of the 254 replies, 186 could be used for analysis. It was doubtful whether 13 of these respondents were experiencing true hallucinations. Of the remaining 173 subjects, 115 reported an inability to cope with the voices. Ninety-seven respondents were in psychiatric care, and copers were significantly less often in psychiatric care (24%) than non-copers (49%). Four coping strategies were apparent: distraction, ignoring the voices, selective listening to them, and setting limits on their influence.

Parental Response to Child Illness Behavior

Abstract: Examined the effects of child age and gender, parent gender, and type of child illness on parents' responses to their children's illness behavior. Study 1 describes the development of the Illness Behavior Encouragement Scale, based on Whitehead et al.'s Social Learning Scales for adults, and provides evidence supporting symptom specificity in children's learning of illness behavior. Results of Study 2 indicate that mothers encourage children's illness behavior more than fathers, that parents encourage children to adopt the sick role for gastrointestinal symptoms more than for cold symptoms, and that girls perceive parents as encouraging their illness behavior more than boys, that is, girls report receiving more sympathy and being allowed more relief from responsibility during illness episodes than boys.

Personal Coping: Theory, Research, and Application

Abstract: Issues and Advances in Coping Research by Bruce N. Carpenter Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Current Coping Assessments by Arthur Stone, Eileen Kennedy-Moore, Michelle G. Newman, Melanie Greenberg, and John M. Neale Making the Case for Coping by Susan Folkman Coping with Psychosocial Stress: A Developmental Perspective by Bruce E. Compas, Vanessa L. Malcarne, and Gerard A. Banez Situational Determinants of Coping by Robert McCrae Individual Differences in the Coping Process: What to Know and When to Know It by Suzanne M. Miller Interpersonal Aspects of Coping by Bruce N. Carpenter and Susan M. Scott Perceived Control, Personal Effectiveness, and Emotional States by Herbert M. Lefcourt Temporal Factors in Stress and Coping: Intervention Implications by Stephen M. Auerbach Life Crises and Personal Growth by Jeanne A. Schaefer and Rudolf H. Moos Outcome Expectancies and Psychosomatic Consequences by Holger Ursin and Karsten Hytten Religious Beliefs and Practices and the Coping Process by Crystal Park and Lawrence H. Cohen A Theory of Family Competence and Coping by Luciano L'Abate Name Index Subject Index Contributors

Personality change in women from the early 40s to the early 50s.

Abstract: Between their early 40s and early 50s, 101 alumnae in the Mills longitudinal study decreased in dependence and self-criticism and increased in confidence and decisiveness. They also increased in comfort and stability attained through adherence to personal and social standards, and they scored higher on measures of coping through intellectuality, logical analysis, tolerance of ambiguity, and substitution. Normative personality change on the California Psychological Inventory was not associated with menopausal status, empty nest status, or involvement in care for parents. Feelings about life corresponded to descriptions of middle age by stage and period theorists, including the idea of turmoil around age 40. Findings support the view that personality changes across middle age in normative ways. Change seems to be attributable to long-term trends or period effects rather than to discrete life events.