Showing papers on "Coping (psychology) published in 1996"

The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory: measuring the positive legacy of trauma.

Abstract: The development of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, an instrument for assessing positive outcomes reported by persons who have experienced traumatic events, is described. This 21-item scale includes factors of New Possibilities, Relating to Others, Personal Strength, Spiritual Change, and Appreciation of Life. Women tend to report more benefits than do men, and persons who have experienced traumatic events report more positive change than do persons who have not experienced extraordinary events. The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory is modestly related to optimism and extraversion. The scale appears to have utility in determining how successful individuals, coping with the aftermath of trauma, are in reconstructing or strengthening their perceptions of self, others, and the meaning of events.

Construing benefits from adversity: Adaptational significance and dispositional underpinnings.

Abstract: The discovery of benefits from living with adversity has been implicated in psychological well-being in numerous investigations, is pivotal to several prominent theories of cognitive adaptation to threat, and can be predicted by personality differences. This article summarizes the prevalence and adaptive significance of finding benefits from major medical problems, locates the place of benefit-finding in stress and coping theories, and examines how it may be shaped by specific psychological dispositions such as optimism and hope and by broader personality traits such as Extraversion and Openness to Experience. The distinction between beliefs about benefits from adversity (benefit-finding) and the use of such knowledge as a deliberate strategy of coping with the problem (benefit-reminding) is underscored and illustrated by daily process research on coping with chronic pain.

Compassion Fatigue: Coping With Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder In Those Who Treat the Traumatized

Abstract: nursing students? J Nurs Educ. 2004;43(7):305-312. [PMID: 15303583] 2. Figley CR, ed. Compassion Fatigue: Coping With Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder in Those Who Treat the Traumatized. New York, NY: Brunner/Mazel; 1995. 3. Figley CR, ed. Treating Compassion Fatigue. New York, NY: BrunnerRoutledge; 2002. 4. Garfield C, Spring C, Ober D. Sometimes My Heart Goes Numb: Caring in a Time of AIDS. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass; 1995. 5. Halifax J. Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death. Boston, MA: Shambala; 2008. 6. Harrison RL, Westwood MJ. Preventing vicarious traumatization of mental health therapists: in the US oncology community. J Oncol Pract. 2005;1(4):140-147. 7. Hutchinson TA, Dobkin PL. Mindful medical practice: just another fad? Can Fam Physician. 2009;55(8):778-779. [PMID: 19675256] 8. Kabat-Zinn J. Mindfulness-based interventions in context: past, present, and future. Clin Psychol Sci Pract. 2003;10(2):144-155. 9. Kornfield J. The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology. New York, NY: Bantam; 2008. 10. Leary MR, Tate EB, Adams CE, Allen AB, Hancock J. Self-compassion and reaction to unpleasant self-relevant events: the implications of treating oneself kindly. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2007;92(5):887-904. [PMID: 17484611] 11. Neff KD, Kirkpatrick KL, Rude SS. Self-compassion and adaptive psychological functioning. J Res Pers. 2006:41139-41154. 12. Neff KD, Vonk R. Self-compassion versus global self-esteem: two different ways of relating to oneself. J Pers. 2009;77(1):23-50. [PMID: 19076996] 13. Neff KD. The development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self Ident. 2003;2:223-250. 14. Nyklícek I, Kuijpers KF. Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention on psychological well-being and quality of life: is increased mindfulness indeed the mechanism? Ann Behav Med. 2008;35(3):331-340. [PMID: 18535870] 15. Shapiro S, Astin J, Bishop S, Cordova M. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for health care professionals: results from a randomized trial. Int J Stress Manag. 2005;12(2):164-176. 16. Shapiro S, Izett CD. Meditation: a universal tool for cultivating empathy. In: Hick S, Bien T, eds. Mindfulness and the Therapeutic Relationship. New York, NY: Guilford Press; 2008. 17. Shapiro SL, Brown KW, Biegel GM. Teaching self-care to caregivers: effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on the mental health of therapists in training. Train Educ Prof Psychol. 2007;1(2):105-115. 18. Shapiro SL, Oman D, Thoresen CE, Plante TG, Flinders T. Cultivating mindfulness: effects on well-being. J Clin Psychol. 2008;64(7):840-862. [PMID: 18484600] 19. Shapiro SL, Schwartz GE, Bonner G. Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on medical and premedical students. J Behav Med. 1998;21(6):581-599. [PMID: 9891256] 20. Wallace BA, Shapiro S. Mental balance and wellbeing: building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. Am Psychol. 2006;61(7):690-701. [PMID: 17032069]

Understanding Psychological Preparation for Sport: Theory and Practice of Elite Performers

Abstract: INTRODUCTION. Why Write Yet Another Book on Psychological Preparation? CURRENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE REGARDING PSYCHOLOGICAL PREPARATION FOR SPORTS PERFORMANCE. Basic Psychological Skills. Self-Confidence. Motivation. Arousal and Activation. Stress and Anxiety. Concentration and Attention Control. Coping with Adversity. IMPLICATIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS. A Unifying Model of Psychological Preparation for Peak Athletic Performance. Future Research Directions. Implications for Guiding Practice.

Handbook of coping : theory, research, applications

Abstract: Partial table of contents: CONCEPTUAL ISSUES. Coping and Defense: A Historical Overview (J. Parker & N. Endler). Personality and Coping: A Reconceptualization (P. Costa, et al.). ASSESSMENT AND RESEARCH METHODS. The Interplay Among Design, Data Analysis, and Theory in the Measurement of Coping (J. Benson & K. Hagtvet). An Approach to Assessing Daily Coping (L. Porter & A. Stone). FACETS OF COPING. Coping in Occupational Settings (S. Cartwright & C. Cooper). Coping with Chronic Pain (J. Katz, et al.). Coping with Multiple Stressors in the Environment (S. Lepore & G. Evans). INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES. Individual Differences in Coping (H. Krohne). Age Differences, Coping, and the Adult Life Span (S. Strack & H. Feifel). CLINICAL PARAMETERS: ADAPTIVE COPING AND INTERVENTIONS. Adaptative and Maladaptative Coping (M. Zeidner & D. Saklofske). Facilitating Coping with Chronic Physical Illness (G. Devins & Y. Binik). Indexes.

Behavioral Inhibition and Stress Reactivity: The Moderating Role of Attachment Security

Abstract: The role of the mother-toddler attachment relationship in moderating the relations between behavioral inhibition and changes in salivary cortisol levels in response to novel events was examined in 77 18-month-olds. Behavioral inhibition was determined by observing toddler inhibition of approach to several novel events. Attachment security to mother was assessed using the Ainsworth Strange Situation. Changes in salivary cortisol were used to index activity of the stress-sensitive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) system. In addition, toddler coping behaviors and the behaviors used by mothers to help toddlers manage novel events were examined. Elevations in cortisol were found only for inhibited toddlers in insecure attachment relationships. Mothers in these relationships appeared to interfere with their toddlers' coping efforts. These results are discussed in the context of a coping model of the relations between temperament and stress reactivity.

Parents' reactions to children's negative emotions: Relations to children's social competence and comforting behavior.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the relations of mothers' and fathers' reported emotion-related practices to parents' and teachers' reports of third-to sixth-grade children's social skills, popularity, and coping, as well as the quantity and quality of children's comforting of an infant. Mothers' problem-focused reactions tended to be positively associated with children's social functioning and coping, whereas maternal minimizing reactions tended to be linked to lower levels of social competence and high levels of avoidant coping. There were few findings for fathers' reactions, although fathers reported fewer problem-focused reactions with socially competent, in contrast to less competent, daughters. Emotion-focused and problem-focused maternal reactions, as well as encouragement of the expression of emotion, were associated with boys' children's comforting behavior, although a moderate level of maternal encouragement of the expression of emotion was associated with quality of girls' comforting.

Positive illusions and coping with adversity.

Abstract: We review the literature showing that positive illusions (i.e., self-aggrandizement, unrealistic optimism, and exaggerated perceptions of control) are common and associated with successful adjustment to stressful events, including conditions of extreme adversity. Using theory and recent data, we offer a basis for integrating positive illusions with the constraints of reality. We explicitly contrast the social psychological model of positive illusions with a personality viewpoint that addresses the question “Do higher levels of positive illusions predict higher levels of adjustment?” These issues are explored in the context of people coping with an array of normal stressful events, as well as those coping with more extreme stressful events, including cancer, heart disease, and HIV infection. Life is seldom as unendurable as, to judge by the facts, it ought to be. —Brooks Atkinson Life is seldom as unendurable as, to judge by the facts, it ought to be. Brooks Atkinson

A Dispositional and Situational Assessment of Children's Coping: Testing Alternative Models of Coping

Abstract: Dispositional and situational measures of children's coping were developed using a theoretically based approach. Two studies (N1 = 217; N2 = 303) assessed the psychometric characteristics of these measures in fourth- through sixth-grade children. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a four-factor model of dispositional coping (active, distraction, avoidant, and support seeking) provided a better fit to the data than either the problem- versus emotion-focused (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) or passive versus active (Billings & Moos, 1981) coping models. The four-factor model was largely invariant with respect to age and gender. Moderate to high correlations were found between the parallel subscales of the dispositional and situational measures of coping. Although the four factor structures of the dispositional and situational measures were generally similar, factor loadings and correlations between dimensions were not equivalent.

Adaptational Style and Dispositional Structure: Coping in the Context of the Five‐Factor Model

Abstract: We review prior evidence—and present data of our own—linking measures of adaptational style to the traits comprising the five-factor model of personality. Neuroticism has been studied most extensively and is consistently associated with passive and ineffective coping mechanisms. Conscientiousness has emerged as an equally powerful predictor of coping; however, it is related to active, problem-focused response strategies. Extraversion is less broadly related to coping but tends to be correlated with social support seeking, positive reappraisal, and problem-focused coping. Openness is largely unrelated to many traditional coping inventories, but appears to reflect a more flexible, imaginative, and intellectually curious approach to problem solving. Finally, Agreeableness is only modestly related to coping. These results demonstrate the value of using well-articulated taxonomic schemes as a framework for trait-based research.

Prediction of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Children After Hurricane Andrew

Abstract: The authors used an integrative conceptual model to examine the emergence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in 568 elementary school-age children 3 months after Hurricane Andrew. The model included 4 primary factors: Exposure to Traumatic Events, Child Characteristics, Access to Social Support, and Children's Coping. Overall, 62% of the variance in children's self-reported PTSD symptoms was accounted for by the 4 primary factors, and each factor improved overall prediction of symptoms when entered in the analyses in the order specified by the conceptual model. The findings suggest that the conceptual model may be helpful to organize research and intervention efforts in the wake of natural disasters.

The interactional context of problem-, emotion-, and relationship-focused coping: the role of the big five personality factors.

Abstract: This study examined the role that personality and situational factors play in three forms of coping responses: problem-, emotion- and relationship-focused. Coping responses were strongly associated with whether the situation involved a primarily agentic (work) or communal (interpersonal) stressor. Among communal stressors, the involvement of close versus distant others was also associated with coping responses. Situational factors were linked most strongly with the use of problem-focused (planful problem solving) and relationship-focused (empathic responding) modes of coping. Dimensions of personality derived from the five-factor model (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness) had important associations with coping responses. Coping responses were best predicted by models that included both the additive and multiplicative effects of person and situation factors. Taken together, the findings suggest that a model of coping that considers both agentic and communal dimensions of stressful situations, includes interpersonal dimensions of coping, and considers personality and situation factors in tandem is needed to increase the predictive utility of current models.

Handbook of social support and the family

Abstract: Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Research on Social Support and the Family: Conceptualizing and Assessing Social Support in the Context of the Family G.R. Pierce, et al. Information Processing Approaches to the Study of Family Relationship Schemas P.L. Yee, et al. Social Support in Marriage: A Cognitive Perspective S.R.H. Beach, et al. Social Support in Its Cultural Context P. Dilworth-Anderson, S. Marshall. The Role of Social Support in Family Relationships: The Neglected Links between Marital Support and Marital Satisfaction L.K. Acitelli. The Socialization of Emotional Support Skills in Childhood B.R. Burleson, A.W. Kunkel. Attachment, Social Competency, and the Capacity to Use Social Support H.M. Coble, et al. Social Support as a Determinant of Marital Quality: The Interplay of Negative and Supportive Behaviors C.E. Cutrona. Contemporary Processes in the Social Networks of Older Adults K. Rook, T.L. Schuster What Is Supportive about Social Support? On the Psychological Needs for Autonomy and Relatedness R.M. Ryan, J.A. Solkey. The Impact of Marital and Social Network Support on Quality of Parenting R.L. Simons, C. Johnson. The Mutual Influence of Family Support and Youth Adaptation C. Timko, R.H. Moos. Stress, Clinical Problems, and Support Needs for Families: The Relation of Family Support to Adolescents' Psychological Distress and Behavior Problems M. Barrera, Jr., S.A. Li. Social Support in Postdivorce Families I. Bretherton, et al. Social Support and Pregnancy C. Dunkel-Schetter. Social Support and Social Coping in Couples S.E. Hobfoll. Social Support and Preventive Therapeutic Interventions B. Lakey, C.J. Lutz. Family Stress and Social Support among Caregivers to Persons with Alzheimer's Disease K. Pillemer, J. Suitor. The Role of Attachment in Perceived Support and the Stress and Coping Process J.T. Ptacek. The Role of Family and Peer Relationships in Adolescent Substance Abuse T.A. Willis, et al. Index.

Caring for relatives with serious mental illness: the development of the Experience of Caregiving Inventory.

Abstract: The aim of this study was to develop a practical, comprehensive, and valid self-report measure of the experience of caring for a relative with a serious mental illness. The notion of caregiver "burden' was rejected; instead caregiving was conceptualised within a 'stress-appraisal-coping' framework. A 66-item version of the Experience of Caregiving Inventory (ECI) was derived from analyses of responses from 626 caregivers, and then tested on an independent sample of 63 relatives of patients with schizophrenia recently in acute care. The extent to which the ECI complied with the stress-coping model was tested, especially the degree to which it, in association with coping, predicted psychological morbidity in carers. Ten sub-scales with good internal consistency resulted from our analyses, eight negative (difficult behaviours; negative symptoms; stigma; problems with services; effects on the family; the need to provide backup; dependency; loss) and two positive (rewarding personal experiences; good aspects of the relationship with the patient). The ECI, in conjunction with coping style, predicted a large proportion of the variance in the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). We concluded that the ECI taps salient dimensions of caregiving distinct from, although linked with, coping and psychological morbidity. It has potential as a useful outcome measure for interventions aimed at promoting caregiver well-being.

Social Support in Couples: Marriage as a Resource in Times of Stress

Abstract: What Is Social Support, and What Makes You Think You Have It? Gender Related Differences in Social Support and Coping Giving and Taking Support A Complicated Process The Interplay between Conflict and Social Support Do Positive Behaviors Really Matter? In Sickness and in Health When One Partner Has a Serious Illness Social Support Therapy with Couples Future Research Directions

Burnout in Competitive Junior Tennis Players: I. A Quantitative Psychological Assessment

Abstract: This study reports results from the first phase of a large-scale research project designed to examine burnout in competitive junior tennis players. Thirty junior tennis burnout and 32 comparison players, identified by U.S. Tennis Association personnel, voluntarily completed a battery of psychological assessments. A series of discriminant function analyses and univariate t-tests revealed that burned out, as contrasted to comparison players, had significantly: (a) higher burnout scores; (b) less input into training; (c) were more likely to have played high school tennis; (d) more likely played up in age division; (e) practiced fewer days; (f) were lower in external motivation; (g) were higher in amotivation; (h) reported being more withdrawn; (i) differed on a variety of perfectionism subscales; (j) were less likely to use planning coping strategies; and (k) were lower on positive interpretation and growth coping. It was concluded that in addition to a variety of personal and situational predictors of burno...

Appraisal, Coping, and Social Support as Mediators of Well-Being in Black and White Family Caregivers of Patients With Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract: Family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) commonly have high levels of psychological distress. Black caregivers often report less depression than White caregivers, but the process underlying this difference is poorly understood. With the use of a stress process model, 123 White and 74 Black family caregivers of patients with AD and other progressive dementias were studied. Black caregivers appraised patient problems as less stressful and reported higher self-efficacy in managing caregiving problems and less depression than did White caregivers. White and Black caregivers also differed significantly in coping responses but not in social supports. Structural equation analyses indicated that the correlational structure of the stress process was similar in White and Black caregivers. Caregiving stressors and race did not affect well-being through direct paths, but they were mediated by effects for appraisal, social support and activity, and coping. Possible cultural mechanisms explaining the better adjustment among Black caregivers are discussed.

Managing Workplace Stress

Abstract: The Growing Epidemic of Stress Coping with Organizational Cultures and Change Coping with the Consequences of Organizational Change Dealing with Stressful Situations Involving People at Work Managing Everyday Stressful Events Home and Work

Age and sex differences in strategies of coping and defense across the life span

Abstract: Age and sex differences in the use of coping and defense strategies were examined in life-span sample of 381 individuals. Participants responded to 2 self-report measures assessing mechanisms of coping and defense and measures assessing their level of cognitive complexity. Older adults used a combination of coping and defense strategies indicative of greater impulse control and the tendency to positively appraise conflict situations. Adolescents and younger adults used strategies that were outwardly aggressive and psychologically undifferentiated, indicating lower levels of impulse control and self-awareness. Women used more internalizing defenses than men and used coping strategies that flexibly integrated intra-and interpersonal aspects of conflict situations. Taken together, findings provide evidence for the age- and sex-specific use of strategies of coping and defense, suggesting that men and women may face different developmental tasks in the process toward maturity in adulthood.

State–Trait Anger Theory and the utility of the Trait Anger Scale.

Abstract: Eight studies present support for state-trait anger theory. In Studies 1-3, high-anger participants reported (a) greater anger in many different provocations, in their most angering ongoing situations, and in daily life, (b) greater anger-related physiological arousal, (c) greater state anger and dysfunctional coping in response to a visualized provocation, and (d) greater use of suppression and outward negative expression of anger. Only heart rate in the visualized provocation did not support predictions. In Studies 4-5, high-anger individuals suffered more frequent and intense anger consequences. In Studies 6-8, trait anger had higher correlations with dimensions of anger than with other emotions, cognitions, and behaviors. Few gender differences were found across studies. Results were discussed in terms of state-trait theory, convergent and discriminant validity for the Trait Anger Scale, anger expression, gender, and the implications for counseling.

Understanding Family Care : A Multidimensional Model of Caring and Coping

Abstract: Family caregiving caring in context towards a more holistic conceptualization of caring stress and coping - implications for family caregiving satisfactions of caring - the neglected dimension family caregiving - a temporal perspective integrating perspectives reaching the end or a new beginning? appendices.

Age Differences in Stress, Coping, and Appraisal: Findings from the Normative Aging Study

Abstract: Controversies exist concerning the influence of age on the stress and coping process, in part due to differences in methods across studies. We examined age differences in stress, appraisal, and coping, using both semistructured interview questions and a coping checklist in middle-aged, young-old, and old-old men. Despite extensive probing, nearly a quarter of the old-old reported having had no problems and they expended less coping effort even when they did have problems. The types of problems reported varied systematically with age. Middle-aged men were more likely to appraise their problems both as challenges and as annoyances than the older men. Different age patterns emerged from the coping interviews vs the checklists, but controlling for type of problem significantly attenuated age differences. However, there were no age differences in perceived stressfulness of the problem, appraisals of harm/loss, or helpless appraisals, number of emotions reported, or coping efficacy. One interpretation of these results is that the nature of stress changes with age, from episodic to chronic, which in turn affects appraisal and coping processes.

Preventing childhood disorders, substance abuse, and delinquency.

Abstract: Outcome studies have shown that treatment does not work if administered too late. Preventing Childhood Disorders, Substance Abuse, and Delinquency presents the newest research on the effectiveness of prevention and early intervention programs with children, from birth to adolescence. The contributors to this volume examine the theory and practice of leading programs designed to prevent social and behavioral problems--including violence and substance abuse--in children and adolescents. The innovative programs analyzed here focus on social skills training for children with conduct disorders, anger coping group work for aggressive children, parent training programs, life skills training for substance abuse prevention, and programs for high-risk youth and rural populations. All designed to intervene before the onset of disorders or to deal effectively with problems when they first appear, many of the programs also emphasize strengthening family, school, and community involvement for successful risk reduction. Clinical psychologists and human services professionals who work with children and youths will find Preventing Childhood Disorders, Substance Abuse, and Delinquency illuminating. This book also will be of interest to policy makers who are looking for more effective and efficient interventions to child and adolescent problems

The mismeasure of coping by checklist.

Abstract: Hundreds of studies have now used standardized checklists to assess respondents' self reports of coping with naturally occurring stress. This article presents a critical review of the conceptual and methodological issues involved in the use of these checklists. As they are currently employed, conventional checklists render an incomplete and distorted portrait of coping. Specifically, these checklists are grounded in too narrow a conception of coping; the application and interpretation of checklists in the typical study are not faithful to a transactional model of stress and coping; statistical controls cannot eliminate the effects of key person and situation variables on coping; and no consistent interpretation can be assigned to coping scale scores. Researchers are encouraged to consider a broader range of methods for assessing coping, including semistructured interviews, customized checklists tailored to their specific hypotheses and objectives, daily diaries, and traditional trait measures.

Functioning in chronic fatigue syndrome: Do illness perceptions play a regulatory role?

Abstract: The relationships between illness perceptions, coping and adjustment were investigated in the context of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Self-reported illness perceptions, coping, disability levels and psychological well-being were assessed in a national sample of 233 CFS sufferers. A series of regression analyses indicated that illness perceptions explained a greater percentage of the variance in levels of disability and psychological well-being than did the coping strategies used by the participants to manage their illness. The illness perception components of illness identity, emotional causes, controllability and consequences had the strongest overall association with adjustment such that participants with a strong illness identity, who believed their illness was out of their control, caused by stress and had very serious consequences were most disabled and psychologically impaired. Disengagement coping strategies and venting emotions were also associated with greater disability and poorer psychological well-being, while positive reinterpretation and seeking social support were positively related to psychological well-being. The potential role of illness perceptions in the maintenance of CFS is discussed. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), otherwise known as myalgic encephalomyelitis or post-viral fatigue syndrome, is an illness characterized by persistent debilitating fatigue of uncertain origin. A multiplicity of other symptoms are associated with CFS such as muscle and joint pain, fever, sleep disruption, and impaired memory and concentration. Prevalence rates for this disorder have been quoted between 7.4 and 37 per 100,000, depending on the sampling procedures and diagnostic criteria used (Gunn, Connel & Randall, 1993; Lloyd, Hickie, Boughton, Spencer & Wakefield, 1990; Price, North, Wessely & Fraser, 1992). The average age of onset is approximately 30 years, with well-educated white women being over represented in patient samples (Gunn el al., 1993).

When Mom or Dad Has Cancer: II. Coping, Cognitive Appraisals, and Psychological Distress in Children of Cancer Patients

Abstract: Cognitive appraisals and coping were examined in children, adolescents, and young adults (N = 134) faced with the diagnosis of cancer in a parent. All 3 age groups perceived low personal control and high external control over their parent's illness and used relatively little problemfocused coping. Adolescents and young adults reported more emotion-focused coping and dual-focused coping (both problem- and emotion-focused in intent) than did preadolescent children. Stage and prognosis of parent's cancer were related to appraisals of greater seriousness and stressfulness, and to more avoidance; however, only appraisals of stress were related to symptoms of anxiety-depression. Emotion-focused coping was related to greater avoidance and to higher symptoms of anxiety-depre ssion; coping and control beliefs did not interact in their association with anxiety-depression symptoms.