Search

BackgroundMethodResultsConclusionSome researchers have posited that self-reports of PTG are often illusory, designed to help trauma survivors maintain positive views of the self. We examined whether participants might select an alternative, attractive option to reporting PTG that could similarly help maintain positive views of the self – reporting that the respondent experienced positive growth despite exposure to an adverse event, which we call Positive Change-Despite (PC-Despite).In two separate studies, after asking respondents about positive change they experienced following exposure to an adverse event, we then asked about the extent to which they experienced positive change because of the adverse event (PC-Because) or despite the adverse event (PC-Despite).We found that participants rated 40% (Study 1 – undergraduate sample) and 31% (Study 2 – first responder sample) of their positive change as PC-Despite. Further, in both studies PC-Despite scores were positively related to measures of distress and both adaptive and maladaptive coping, suggesting a link with an illusory form of PTG. In contrast, PC-Because was only related to adaptive coping.Participants chose an attractive alternative response to reporting PTG at substantial rates, supporting the notion that many self-reports of PTG reflect motivated biases and coping processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and ObjectivesMethods and DesignResultsConclusionsDementia-related anxiety (DRA) is the fear or anxiety about a current or future diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia. The purpose of the present study was to examine management of DRA.In semi-structured qualitative interviews, 50 community-dwelling adults (58–89 years old, M = 70.80, SD = 6.02) without dementia diagnoses reflected on their thoughts and feelings about dementia. A reflexive inductive thematic approach was used to examine ways people managed DRA.We identified five themes related to managing DRA: monitoring cognitive status (e.g., self-monitoring or objective assessment); active coping strategies (e.g., using external reminders, normalizing age-related change); interpersonal relationships and support (e.g., anticipating benefit of support from others); planning and preparing for potential outcomes (e.g., securing power of attorney, saying goodbyes); and personal responsibility to manage risk or accept diagnosis (e.g., lifestyle factors to reduce dementia risk, thereby reducing risk for burdening others).Findings suggest internal and external means for coping with DRA that are likely to vary in degrees of usefulness. We consider findings within the context of relevant, established theories, attending to potential clinical interventions for individuals experiencing DRA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This preliminary online study investigated the short-term effects of self-distancing, worry, and distraction on anxiety and worry-related appraisals among individuals high in worry. N = 104 community members high in trait worry were randomly assigned to think about a personally identified worry-provoking situation using self-distancing (SC), worry (WC), or distraction (DC). Participants rated their anxiety (Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety) and appraisals of the situation (Perceived Probability, Coping, and Cost Questions) at post-task and one-day follow-up. Mixed factorial ANOVAs revealed an increase in anxiety within the WC (d =.475) and no difference in anxiety within the SC (d =.010) from pre- to post-task. There was no difference in anxiety within the DC (p =.177). Participants within the SC reported a decrease in the perceived cost associated with their identified situation from pre- to post-task (d =.424), which was maintained at one-day follow-up (d =.034). Participants reported an increase in perceived ability to cope from post-task to one-day follow-up (d =.236), and from pre-task to one-day follow-up (d =.338), regardless of condition. Self-distancing may prevent increases in anxiety and catastrophizing while reflecting on a feared situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research suggests interventions such as education and imagery can elicit a greater stress-is-enhancing mindset. The present study examined the individual and combined effect of stress-is-enhancing education and/or imagery delivered virtually in altering stress mindset. Three 3-minute online video interventions: (1) education, (2) imagery, (3) education with imagery were compared to each other and a control comparison. Participants (N = 164; 103 = female; Mage = 20.03, SD = 1.39 years) completed the Stress Mindset Measure (SMM) before being randomly assigned to a group to watch a three-minute video and completing the SMM again. The 2-time × 4-group ANOVA showed a significant time effect, F(1, 158) = 50.45, p <.001, ηp2 =.242, no group effect, F(3, 158) = 0.89, p =.449, ηp2 =.017, and a significant time × group interaction, F(3, 158) = 4.48, p =.005, ηp2 =.078. All three experimental groups reported greater stress-is-enhancing mindset post-intervention compared to pre-intervention. At post-intervention the education with imagery group had a significantly more stress-is-enhancing mindset compared to the control group. Results suggest that online stress mindset videos may be effective with a combined stress education and imagery intervention being most effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stress-is-enhancing mindset is associated with lower perceived stress and better coping. However, work examining the prospective associations of stress mindset on perceived traumatic stress symptoms during a stressful real-world life event is limited. The present prospective study explored whether stress-is-enhancing mindset measured before the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic was associated with later traumatic stress symptoms in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. University students (N = 179; 68% female; Mage = 19.31, SD = 0.79 years) completed the Stress Mindset Measure (SMM) prior to COVID-19 pandemic onset as part of a larger study. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic was completed 1 year into the pandemic. SMM negatively predicted the IES-R subscales intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal such that a more stress-is-enhancing mindset was associated with lower intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal following the onset of COVID-19. Results suggest a more positive stress mindset is associated with fewer traumatic stress symptoms following a traumatic life event. Altering stress mindset may be an avenue for future interventions to cope with stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined mental health symptoms, help-seeking, and coping differences between Canadian essential workers (EWs) versus non-EWs, as well as common COVID-related concerns and longitudinal predictors of mental health symptoms among EWs only. An online, longitudinal survey (N = 1260; response rate (RR) = 78.5%) assessing mental health and psychosocial domains amongst Canadian adults was administered during the first wave of COVID-19 with a six-month follow-up (N = 821; RR = 53.7%). Cross tabulations and chi-square analyses examined sociodemographic, mental health, and coping differences between EWs and non-EWs. Frequencies evaluated common COVID-related concerns. Linear regression analyses examined associations between baseline measures with mental health symptoms six months later amongst EWs. EWs reported fewer mental health symptoms and avoidance coping than non-EWs, and were most concerned with transmitting COVID-19. Both groups reported similar patterns of help-seeking. Longitudinal correlates of anxiety and perceived stress symptoms among EWs included age, marital status, household income, accessing a psychologist, avoidant coping, and higher COVID-19-related distress. COVID-19 has had a substantial impact on the mental health of Canadian EWs. This research identifies which EWs are at greater risk of developing mental disorders, and may further guide the development of pandemic-related interventions for these workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-insights focused on the coping process are implicated in the refinement of capacities for resilience. To advance this research, we must identify key coping self-insights and develop a concise measurement tool. The purpose of this paper is to develop evidence for the construct dimensionality and validity of a measure of coping self-insight. Items measuring 13 coping self-insight dimensions were generated via consultation with theoretical work, subject matter experts, and pre-testing items for clarity. Thereafter, the dimensionality of items was assessed with undergraduate students (N = 232) and an online sample (N = 800) via exploratory and confirmatory analyses. Finally, a multi-trait, multi-method approach was used to test discriminant validity in a further sample of students (N = 228). The initial item list was reduced to five key dimensions that balanced data-driven and conceptual considerations. Confirmatory Factor Analysis revealed moderate-to-strong correlations (r =.47–.80) among dimensions. We also demonstrated evidence of internal reliability, convergent, criterion, and discriminant validity. Invariance tests for sub-groups of interest (e.g., sex, sample type) frequently demonstrated metric or scalar invariance, except for age sub-groups. Findings offer a starting point regarding the types of coping self-insights important for the emergence of resilience and a validated tool for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the strategy-situation fit hypothesis, it is adaptive to match coping strategies to the controllability of stressors. Although early research generally supported this hypothesis, recent findings have been inconsistent. The goals of this study were to test the strategy-situation fit hypothesis, addressing limitations of past research, and compare it to an alternative hypothesis from the temporal model of control (i.e., to focus on what one can control rather than matching coping strategies to control appraisals). College students (n = 159) completed measures assessing their stressors, coping strategies, stressor controllability, perceived control over present aspects of stressors, and perceived stress. Data were collected via online surveys in Fall 2020. Consistent with the strategy-situation fit hypothesis, using a higher ratio of problem-solving coping for more controllable stressors was associated with less stress. However, using more emotion-focused coping for less controllable stressors was not associated with less stress. In addition, focusing on what one could control in the present was associated with less stress, above and beyond strategy-situation fit. It may be more adaptive to focus on what one can control in the present than to match coping styles to stressor controllability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People commonly report positive changes following stressful experiences (perceived posttraumatic growth; PPTG), yet whether PPTG validly reflects positive changes remains unestablished. We tested the extent to which COVID-19 pandemic-related PPTG relates to positive changes in corresponding psychosocial resources in a national US sample participating in a five wave study (T1-T5), focusing here on T2-T5: ns = 712 –860. We examined correlations between resource change (both latent and observed difference scores) and PPTG at each occasion and conducted structural equation models to separate occasion-specific and stable (traitlike) PPTG variance. We related changes in resources to occasion-specific and stable PPTG components. Associations between change scores and occasion-specific PPTG were sparse, providing limited evidence of PPTG validity. Associations between change scores and stable PPTG tended to be positive and stronger than associations for occasion-specific PPTG. Perceptions of growth were largely unrelated to experienced positive changes and thus appear to be largely illusory. However, a personality-like tendency to believe one grows from stressful experiences relates more strongly to actual resource growth. These results suggest that people are not accurate reporters of positive changes they experience and that interventions aimed at promoting post-traumatic growth may be premature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maladaptive emotion regulation strategies increase prolonged grief and depressive symptoms following bereavement. However, less is known about the role of adaptive emotion regulation strategies in adaptation to loss. Therefore, we examined the concurrent and longitudinal associations of three putative adaptive emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal, emotional expression, and mindfulness) with prolonged grief and depression symptoms. A two-wave longitudinal survey. A sample of 397 bereaved Dutch adults (89% female, mean age 54 years) completed validated questionnaires to assess trait cognitive reappraisal, emotional expression, mindfulness and prolonged grief and depression symptoms at baseline (T1) and 344 participants completed symptom measures again six months later (T2). Zero-order correlations demonstrated that mindfulness, cognitive reappraisal and emotional expression relate negatively to T1 and T2 prolonged grief and depression symptoms. In multiple regression analyses, controlling for relevant background variables, all emotion regulation strategies related negatively to T1 prolonged grief and depression symptoms. In multiple regression analyses, controlling for T1 symptoms and background variables, mindfulness predicted lower T2 depression symptoms. Adaptive emotion regulation strategies relate negatively to post-loss psychopathology symptoms, yet only mindfulness longitudinally predicts lower depression symptoms. Dispositional mindfulness may be a protective factor in psychological adaptation to bereavement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of trait perfectionism on coping and affective response has been well-documented in laboratory performances, and yet little is known about the role played by perfectionistic self-presentation in performances beyond the effects of trait perfectionism. We aimed to address this knowledge gap by examining the relationships between perfectionistic self-presentation, maladaptive emotion-focused coping, and affective response to laboratory problem-solving tasks. A group of 130 undergraduates attempted challenging, time-limited arithmetic and anagram tasks. Upon task completion, participants' scores were announced along with their mistakes. Additionally, participants completed measures assessing their positive and negative affect before and after lab performance, as well as coping strategies utilized during performance. Participants with elevated perfectionistic self-presentation experienced greater levels of negative affect and maladaptive emotion-focused coping. Moreover, nondisclosure of imperfection emerged as a significant predictor of lowered positive affect from pre- to post-performance after controlling for self-oriented perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism. Path analysis indicated that both nondisplay of imperfection and nondisclosure of imperfection exerted an indirect effect on post-performance negative affect via maladaptive emotion-focused coping. Our findings highlight the unique contribution of perfectionistic self-presentation beyond trait perfectionism in performance settings and suggest a need for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic was a novel chronic stressor that necessitated figuring out how to cope with it. We hypothesized that disengagement coping – coping with a stressor by disengaging from it – would be effective because the pandemic featured heightened uncertainty and enduring intensity. We assessed the disengagement strategies of distraction – taking a break from a stressor – and avoidance – avoiding thoughts and feelings associated with a stressor – and emotional well-being outcomes (positive/negative emotions, stress) in three waves one week apart (305 participants completed all three waves). Distraction was one of the most frequently endorsed coping strategies. The results of multi-level models and cross-lagged panel models showed that participants who used distraction habitually experienced better emotional well-being overall and that using distraction led to better emotional well-being that week, but did not predict increases in well-being from one week to the next. Those who used avoidance also experienced better emotional well-being that week, but habitual use of avoidance was associated with worse emotional well-being overall. These findings suggest that in the midst of chronic stressors like this pandemic, the disengagement coping strategy of distraction is popular and effective for temporarily improving people's well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a highly stressful period where post-secondary education moved to online formats. Coping skills like decentering and reappraisal appear to promote stress resilience, but limited research exists on cultivating these skills in online learning contexts. Methods: In a three-arm randomized trial design, we evaluated three-week, web-based interventions to gauge how to best cultivate mindfulness and stress-reappraisal skills and whether the proposed interventions led to improved mental health. Undergraduate participants (N = 183) were randomly assigned to stress mindset, mindfulness meditation, or mindfulness with choice conditions. Results: At the study level (baseline vs. post-intervention), decentering improved across all conditions. Mindfulness with choice significantly decreased negative affect and rumination compared to stress mindset, while stress mindset significantly enhanced stress mindset skills compared to both mindfulness groups. At the daily level (three sessions per week), stress mindset significantly increased positive affect compared to mindfulness meditation. Conclusions: Results suggest that student mental health can be remotely supported through brief web-based interventions. Mindfulness practices seem to be effective in improving students' negative mood and coping strategies, while stress mindset training can help students to adopt a stress-is-enhancing mindset. Additional work on refining and better matching students to appropriate interventions is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A body of studies suggests that coping resources may represent a protective factor against functional and cognitive losses associated with advanced ageing. This study intended to examine the contributions of global cognition, functional mobility, and muscular strength on self-reported coping strategies in late adulthood. One hundred and thirty-seven community-based older individuals (Mage = 77.2 years, SD = 5.8 years, age range: 63–92 years), 48 males and 89 females with and without signs of cognitive decline completed a battery of tools assessing global cognitive function, problem-focused coping, muscular strength (assessed by handgrip strength, HGS) and functional mobility (assessed using the instrumented Timed-Up-and-Go test). Significant associations were found between problem-focused coping, global cognitive function, HGS, functional mobility parameters, age, and education. Moreover, when the effects of education and gender were controlled for, HGS, functional mobility, and global cognitive function scores accounted for 44% of the variance in coping. In clinical practice, the use of functional mobility and muscular strength measures to screen the physical health of older individuals should be encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-as-Context (SAC) is one of the six core components of the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy model (ACT). The aim of the current study was to investigate whether SAC is effective in reducing negative affect and maintaining positive affect in response to a personally relevant stressor relative to cognitive reappraisal (CR) and spontaneous coping strategies. An undergraduate sample (N = 105) completed baseline measures and were asked to discuss a recent personally relevant stressor which was audiotaped, before being randomized to one of three conditions. Participants randomized to the SAC and CR conditions received 5-minutes of training, whilst participants allocated to the control condition were asked to read a brochure for 5-minutes. All participants then listened to their recorded stressful experience before completed follow-up measures. The SAC group reported significantly less negative affect than participants in the control group post-training induction; although the CR group did not differ from the SAC or control participants in reductions in negative affect post-induction. There were no significant group differences for positive affect. The findings provide preliminary evidence that SAC is an effective emotion regulatory strategy in reducing acute distress in a stress-exposed young adult sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to reveal adolescent coping profiles by focusing on the combination of help-seeking and active/passive coping styles, and to compare affective and school adaptation levels across different profiles. One-year longitudinal data were collected from 695 Japanese secondary-school students (359 males, 330 females, and 6 unknowns) every semester. All participants reported their positive/negative affect and school adaptation. Only those who experienced any personal problem in the past month completed self-report measures including four stress-coping strategies use. Latent transition analysis (LTA) was conducted to identify stress-coping profiles and their transitions, conducting Tukey's tests to examine the association between the profiles and psychological adaptability. LTA suggested a seven-class solution. One of the profiles represented participants who did not report any stressor during the past month, and the other six classes were sorted by the amount of help-seeking (low, moderate, and high) and active/passive coping style. The results indicated that simultaneous use of help-seeking and active coping was important for school adaptation and affect balance. Low-adaptation profiles showed high stability during the investigation period. Findings suggest that clinicians should assess and intervene with help-seeking and stress-coping styles before or during early adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though correspondence across the affective experience and physiologic arousal levels of the stress response is thought to support efficacious coping and buffer against internalizing problems, little evidence has demonstrated such correspondence. Using a community sample of preadolescents (N=151, Mage=10.33 years, Minage=8.92, Maxage=12.00, 51.7% male), this person-centered study examined internalizing problem and coping-linked variability in psychobiological stress response correspondence. Preadolescents were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test and self-reported negative affect (NA) and salivary cortisol (SC) levels were assessed. Multitrajectory modeling revealed four subgroups. Relative to In-Touch (i.e., Moderate NA–Moderate SC; n=65), Unmindful (i.e., Moderate NA–Low SC; n=49) were more likely to present with parent-reported but not self-reported internalizing problems; Vigilant (i.e., High NA–Low SC; n=13) were more likely to present with self- and parent-reported internalizing problems, less likely to use engagement coping, and more likely to use wishful thinking (e.g., "I wish problems would just go away."); Denial (i.e., Low NA–High SC; n=24) self-reported similarly low internalizing problems, but were also more likely to report reliance on denial (e.g., "I pretend problems don't exist."). Findings illustrate meaningful heterogeneity in preadolescent psychobiological correspondence with implications for multimodal assessment and outcome monitoring in coping-based preventative interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safety behaviors display some similarities to coping behaviors, raising questions about whether the two sets of behaviors display distinct associations with anxiety symptoms. To examine this issue, we conducted two cross-sectional studies in which participants (n = 243 and 157) completed measures of the safety behaviors associated with social anxiety disorder (SAD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), the Brief Ways of Coping Scale (BWOC), and SAD and GAD symptom measures. In Study 1, extant safety-behavior and coping measures were used. In Study 2, the measures were modified so that they followed the same format and instructions. Both studies indicated that the safety behavior measures displayed strong positive associations with their respective symptoms, as did several dysfunctional coping strategies, most notably wishful thinking. These findings provide preliminary empirical support for the conceptual distinction between safety behaviors and coping, and suggest that assessing both concepts provide a nuanced understanding of responding to anxiety-evoking situations. Highlights• Safety-seeking strategies and coping behaviors have striking similarities• We conducted two studies to compare extant measures of the two constructs• Participants were able to distinguish the two set of behaviors• Both safety behaviors and dysfunctional coping were associated with anxiety symptoms [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postpartum depression (PPD) impacts about one out of eight new mothers. Research has demonstrated that social support is a protector of PPD. Nevertheless, there has been disagreement on how social support influences depression. The objective is to test two theories – main-effect theory and stress-buffering theory of social support on PPD with different definitions of stress and two types of social support. Secondary longitudinal data from the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect were used. Parenting stress and difficult life circumstances (DLC) measured at six-month postpartum was used to predict the changes in depression from six- to 12-month postpartum; social support at six-month postpartum was conceptualized as a moderator between stress and PPD. Structural Equation Modeling was adopted for the longitudinal analyses. DLC and parental distress both showed long-lasting impacts on PPD. Social support was not found to have a direct or indirect effect on PPD. Neither the stress-buffering theory nor the main-effect model was endorsed by this study. Interventions that are accessible to new mothers and aim to improve self-efficacy are recommended. Measures with higher psychometric quality should be used in moderation research. More longitudinal studies with shorter lags between measurement occasions are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coping with the stress of real and simulated disasters is thought to be integral to the performance of emergency medicine providers. Yet, little is known about which coping strategies are employed in these scenarios and whether differential use of strategies predicts actual clinical and interpersonal performance. Thirty-four medical students were evaluated by trained simulated patients and physician observers across 111 clinical encounters during a simulated disaster. Linear Mixed Effects Modelling was used to test study hypotheses while accounting for demographic variables, psychological factors, and the dependency of multiple encounters for each participant. Results indicated that multilevel modeling was necessary. Positive thinking positively predicted observed clinical performance whereas avoidant coping was a negative predictor. Anticipatory anxiety and positive affect, but not reported coping, positively predicted student interpersonal performance. The present study indicates that the way medical students report managing the stress of disaster scenarios has clear links to their observed clinical performance above and beyond demographic and psychological factors. It further demonstrates the feasibility of empirically identifying specific coping strategies that may be important targets for disaster response training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of college students in the U.S. report elevations in stress and anxiety. One approach to addressing this need is to offer skills training programs. This study used a stepped-wedge design to test the effects of a mindfulness-based coping-enhancement program on college students' stress-management, emotion regulation, coping, and well-being. The 6-week program includes didactics and practices for mindfulness, coping with challenging situations, regulating emotions, and compassion for oneself and others. Participants (N = 208) were predominantly first-year college students living in residence halls on campus, where the program was delivered. Students who received the program were compared to those who had not yet received the program and reported improved mindfulness, executive control, active coping, self-compassion, social connectedness, resilience, and flourishing. The majority of these changes were maintained at a three-month follow-up. The results of this study suggest that the program shows promise for supporting well-being in college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meta-analyses indicated detrimental effects on some psychological dimensions from job loss and extended periods of unemployment. This study analyses three phenomena: causes attributed to unemployment; processes for coping with unemployment; and the emotional impact of joblessness. Using an SEM approach, a model is created in which unemployment normalization acts as a mediator between locus of control and emotions. Method: questionnaires from 260 unemployed people in Luxembourg provided data on perceived control, coping, and emotions. Participants who attribute their situation to bad luck, believe more strongly that unemployment is due to external factors beyond their control, and recognize unemployment as being a common occurrence in life. Such cognitive attribution of unemployment has effects on job seekers' emotions. Those who perceive unemployment in a more positive light experience more positive emotions and fewer negative affects. Negative perceptions of unemployment have no effect on the generation of positive emotion, but have an influence on negative affects. Finally, the influence of perceived-control on emotion is not direct, but is mediated by processes of unemployment normalization. Understanding how unemployed people perceive and experience their situations could help them be more effective in their search for new employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children exposed to cumulative risk (CR) are more likely to have poor physical and psychological health across the lifespan. CR may contribute to children's adjustment, in part through its effects on appraisal and coping. Further, child temperament may alter the effects of CR on appraisal and coping. This study investigated the interactive and prospective effects of CR and temperament on children's appraisal and coping strategies. In this secondary data analysis using a community sample (N=306) of preadolescents (M age = 9.5 at T1), structural equations models were conducted to examine temperament negative emotionality (NE) and effortful control (EC) as moderators of the effect of CR on both levels and proportional use of positive and threat appraisals, and active and avoidant coping. Children higher in NE used more threat appraisal and avoidant coping, whereas children higher in EC used less threat appraisal concurrently and decreased in their use of threat appraisal across 1 year. Both NE and EC altered the prospective effect of CR on appraisal and coping. Findings suggest temperament alters the effect of CR on appraisal and coping, implicating EC as a resource and NE as a vulnerability in changes in appraisal and coping during preadolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: The complexities of daily life often necessitate creative ideas to successfully cope with negative social situations. This study investigated the relationship of two types of creativity that may be elicited by similar contexts but are associated with different goals and impact of ideas: reappraisal inventiveness (the capability to generate manifold reappraisals for negative situations) and malevolent creativity, capturing the inventiveness in intentionally harming others. Design and methods: In 73 women, these variables were assessed by performance tests depicting real-life, anger-eliciting situations. Additionally, participants reported their trait anger and depressive symptoms. Results: Inventiveness (ideational fluency) was positively correlated between the two tasks, probably indicating shared divergent thinking demands. A more intricate pattern emerged for quality aspects of generated ideas. Participants inventing particularly harmful ideas for damaging others generated fewer valid reappraisals and displayed less problem-oriented thinking during reappraisal. Greater inventiveness in damaging others was linked to more revenge-related ideation during reappraisal attempts, which also correlated with self-reported depressive symptoms. Conclusions: A higher capacity for malevolent ideation may potentially hamper successful coping with stressful, anger-eliciting events and, as a result, may advance an adverse spiral of reinforcement. Considering these links may help tailor psychotherapeutic interventions to individuals' specific predispositions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High job demands and low job resources may cause job strain and eventually result in burnout. However, previous research has generally ignored the roles of time and self-regulation. Objectives: This theoretical article synthesizes the literature to propose a multilevel model that delineates how acute job strain translates into enduring and severe job burnout. Methods: We integrate self-regulation perspectives in job demands-resources (JD-R) theory to propose that short-term job strain and eventually enduring burnout is the result of consistently high job demands and low job resources – combined with failed self-regulation. Results: The model shows that when employees are confronted with increased job strain, they are more likely to use maladaptive self-regulation strategies, such as coping inflexibility and self-undermining. In addition, when job strain increases, employees are less likely to use adaptive self-regulation strategies, such as job stress recovery and job crafting. It follows that when the job becomes more stressful, stable resources become more important. Organizational resources such as human resource practices and healthy leadership may help employees to regulate their short-term fatigue and avoid enduring burnout. Furthermore, key personal resources like emotional intelligence and proactive personality may help employees to recognize and regulate their fatigue in an effective way. Conclusion: The proposed model of burnout expands JD-R theory and offers important practical implications for the prevention and reduction of burnout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: Coping and resilience, how we deal with problems and difficulties and recover from misfortune or change, are two well-known interrelated concepts within psychology. The question remains, however, to what extent the two overlap or differ. Design: The present study investigated coping, resilience and their relationship using cross-sectional network analysis. Participants (N = 502), aged between 18 and 64 y old, completed an online survey including the Brief-COPE (Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced) and the SPF-24 (Scale of Protective Factors). Results: Partial correlation networks on coping and resilience separately show strong, mostly positive associations, both within and between different cluster of coping and different higher-order resilience factors. Results for our combined partial correlation network indicate that coping and resilience are distinct, yet clearly related constructs and are likely to influence each other. Overall, the use of social support, active coping, goal efficacy and planning proved important in bridging coping and resilience. Conclusion: The current findings are best replicated using time-series data, person-specific network models and clinical samples. Further implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Positive distraction involves distracting oneself from a stressor by thinking about or engaging in activities that induce positive emotion. We hypothesized that although it is a disengagement coping strategy, which have been historically viewed as maladaptive (e.g., avoidance), positive distraction can be an adaptive version that predicts positive outcomes. Design: To test this hypothesis, we developed a scale to measure positive and neutral distraction (distracting oneself by engaging in daily activities) in response to chronic stressors in 3 samples (MTurk1, N = 206; undergraduate, N = 376; MTurk2, N = 200). We then correlated the use of these strategies with outcomes in these samples and another undergraduate sample (N = 370). Results: Exploratory SEM confirmed that the scale consists of two factors corresponding to positive and neutral distraction, which were positively correlated with avoidance. However, unlike avoidance, positive distraction (and to a lesser degree neutral distraction) was related to positive outcomes such as higher well-being and positive emotions, and fewer depressive symptoms especially when controlling for avoidance. Conclusions: Our results suggest that positive distraction can be an adaptive disengagement coping strategy for chronic stressors when controlling for avoidance and should be incorporated into coping studies and interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: The study aim was to examine the predictive effect of parental attachment on positive psychological outcomes (posttraumatic growth, PTG) and negative psychological outcomes (posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms), and to test the mediating role of positive and negative coping in the relationship among adolescents following an earthquake in China. Design: The study used a longitudinal design with a 6-month time interval. Method: Data was collected from middle schools in the most severely affected areas at 18 and 24 months following an earthquake. Data were analyzed from 398 adolescents who completed self-report measures of parental attachment, coping, PTSD, depression, and PTG. Path analysis was conducted to examine the relationships among the main study variables. Results: Secure parental attachment predicted lower PTSD and depression symptoms at 24-months follow-up, and negative coping partly mediated the effects of parental attachment on PTSD and depression. No significant association was observed between parental attachment and PTG. Conclusions: The findings indicate that secure parental attachment had a protective effect for adolescents after the disaster. Such attachment may reduce the use of negative coping and in turn decrease psychological distress over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pregnancy-related stress in women who are pregnant with twins, may increase the risk of adverse emotional outcomes such as depressive symptoms and anxiety. Possible protective coping resources of pregnant women could be their socio-economic background, their marital relationship quality (dyadic satisfaction), or their emotional intelligence. Objectives: The study aims at exploring the mechanisms by which protective factors are associated with pregnancy-related stress and adverse emotional outcomes such as depression and anxiety. Methods and Design: Hospitals in Beijing, China, provided questionnaire data from 134 women who were pregnant with twins. Pregnancy-related stress, anxiety, depression, and three resource factors (socio-economic status, emotional intelligence, and dyadic marital satisfaction) were measured. Results: The experience of pregnancy-related stress mediated between resource factors and adverse consequences. While some socio-economic background variables had a main effect, personal and social resources exerted a buffer effect: emotional intelligence as well as dyadic satisfaction buffered the negative effects of stress on prenatal anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. Conclusions: A unique mechanism was identified that may explain how protective coping resources are associated with psychosocial stress and adverse outcomes in pregnant at-risk women. Future studies should substantiate this finding using longitudinal research designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Military service is a stressful occupation, including increased risk for psychological distress. In order to provide the best care for service members and veterans (SMVs), it is important to understand personality and behavioral patterns associated with negative outcomes. This study examined links between attachment processes, coping styles, problematic alcohol use and psychological distress.Design: Using a cross-sectional, correlational design, a multi-instrument survey was administered to participants either online or in-person.Methods: Veterans and active duty service members (N = 268) completed measures of adult attachment, coping styles, alcohol use, and psychological symptoms.Results: Attachment avoidance was positively associated with avoidant coping, alcohol use, depression, and PTSD symptoms, but negatively related to problem-focused coping. Attachment anxiety was associated with avoidant coping, depression, GAD, and PTSD symptoms. Avoidant coping, but not problem-focused coping, was associated with psychological symptoms, and significant indirect relationships were noted between insecure attachment processes, avoidant coping, and psychological symptoms.Conclusion: Findings highlight personality and behavioral factors that may be important treatment foci when working with SMVs. Future studies should evaluate this model using longitudinal designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The current study examined whether coping strategies mediate the link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and adult psychiatric and physical health outcomes.Methods: Data were drawn from wave I (N = 7108), wave II (N = 4963), and wave III (N = 3294) of the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) Survey. An ACE count was created using seven aspects of early adversity based on prior literature. Coping variables were created using subscales of the COPE inventory. Psychiatric and health outcomes were assessed at baseline and at the 20-year follow-up. Bootstrapping mediation analyses were conducted using MPLUS to examine the link between ACEs and health outcomes and to determine if coping strategies mediate these relationships.Results: Results of path analyses in Mplus showed that ACEs, reported at Wave I, were associated with worse psychiatric and physical health outcomes at Wave III. ACEs at Wave I were associated with greater use of avoidant emotion-focused coping and lower use of problem-focused strategies at Wave II. Avoidant emotion-focused coping at Wave II partially mediated the relationship between ACEs, reported at Wave I, and psychiatric and physical health outcomes reported at Wave III. No significant mediation was detected for problem-focused coping.Conclusions: Coping strategies may be an important point target for prevention or intervention for individuals who have experienced ACEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Research demonstrates that the experience of cancer invariably violates patients' meaning structures, prompting them to use coping strategies to alleviate stress and enhance well-being. The current study aimed to examine the mediating effects of coping strategies in the relationship between global and situational meaning and psychological well-being in gastric cancer patients. Design and Method: One hundred eighty-seven patients (96 women and 91 men) with gastric cancer completed questionnaires measuring meaning in life, changes of beliefs and goals, coping, and psychological well-being. Participants were between 27 and 82 years of age. They were diagnosed with gastric cancer from 1 to 3.2 years ago. Using Structural Equation Modeling, both the direct and indirect associations between meaning structures, coping, and psychological well-being were examined. Results: Meaning in life exerted significant indirect effects on psychological well-being through three coping strategies: problem-, emotion-, and meaning-focused. The relationship between changes of beliefs and goals and psychological well-being was also mediated by coping. Conclusions: Findings suggest that coping strategies are mediators in the relationship between global and situational meaning and psychological well-being. They also provide empirical evidence that in severe cancer-related stress conditions both meaning structures and coping strategies influence patients' psychological well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives. Social support is linked with psychological health, but its mechanisms are unclear. We examined supporters' influence on recipients' cognitive processing as a mechanism of effects of support on outcomes associated with depression. Design/methods. 2 × 2 between-subjects experiment. 147 participants (1) experienced a negative event (false feedback); (2) received social support modeling one of two contrasting cognitive processing modes (abstract/evaluative or concrete/experiential); (3) generated explanations for the event, later coded for processing mode and internal/external causal attribution; and (4) reported on emotion, perceptions of self and future, and social affiliation. To examine relational effects, half of participants were led to perceive the supporter as similar to themselves via a shared birthday manipulation. Results. Support condition influenced participants' processing mode and causal attributions as predicted. Abstract/evaluative support led to more positive emotion and self-perceptions, and less pessimistic expectancies for the future than concrete/experiential support. Perceived similarity moderated effects on beliefs about an upcoming social interaction, magnifying positive affiliation outcomes of abstract/evaluative versus concrete/experiential support. Conclusions. Processing modes that are generally maladaptive at the intrapersonal level may be adaptive (and vice versa) when they are interpersonally influenced, and perceived similarity may facilitate interpersonal effects of processing mode on affiliation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research on complicated grief (CG) symptoms following job loss is surprisingly rare. Involuntary job loss can turn someone's world upside down and can result in loss of identity, social contacts, and self-worth. In this study, we drew on the literature on major life events in conceptualizing involuntary job loss as a significant and potentially devastating life event. Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate an instrument that measures job loss-related CG symptoms, the Job Loss Grief Scale (JLGS). The purpose of the JLGS is to foster systematic research on CG symptoms following job loss. Design: A cross-sectional study Methods: We recruited Dutch workers who had lost their job, 130 men and 158 women with an average age of 49.6 years. To examine the psychometric properties of the JLGS and its associations with other concepts we conducted correlational and confirmatory factor analyses. Results: CFA revealed that the JLGS was a one-dimensional instrument, and that CG symptoms were distinguishable from depression and anxiety symptoms. Conclusion: The JLGS is a reliable and valid instrument to measure job loss-related CG symptoms. The availability of the JLGS could stimulate systematic research on the antecedents and consequences of involuntary job loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: According to the Dual Process Model (DPM), shifting between loss-oriented (LO) and restoration-oriented (RO) coping is essential for adjustment following bereavement. Knowledge about how LO and RO coping change over time and how such changes are related to adjustment is missing. With a prospective design this study investigated (1) relations between levels of LO/RO coping and selected outcomes and (2) changes in LO/RO coping across time and their relations to adjustment.Methods: A sample of 145 spousal bereaved individuals completed questionnaires measuring LO and RO coping, grief symptoms, positive affect, and attachment orientation approximately 2-3 months (baseline) and 7 months (follow-up) post-loss.Results: High usage of LO coping was associated with poorer outcomes and high usage of RO coping was associated with better outcomes at both baseline and follow-up. Individuals generally shifted towards more RO coping across time and those who exhibited this shift showed lower levels of grief at follow-up compared to individuals who changed towards more LO coping across time.Conclusions: Individuals showing more RO coping reported better adjustment both early and later in the bereavement process. Changes in coping orientation over time might be useful for understanding complicated grief reactions following loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Academic procrastination is common among university students and its effect on their achievement is worrisome. Although procrastination is often depicted as self-regulation failure, research still needs to examine the self-regulatory mechanisms involved in the relationship between procrastination and achievement.Objectives: In this prospective study, we sought to (a) unravel the unique effect of academic procrastination on university grades, (b) examine the mediating role of task-oriented and disengagement-oriented coping as a self-regulatory pathway toward achievement, (c) control for the potential confounding influence of past achievement and working memory capacity.Methods: A sample of 258 university students completed self-report measures of academic procrastination and coping, and performed tests of working memory. Their semester grade point average was collected at the end of the semester.Results: Results of structural equation modeling showed that academic procrastination negatively predicted subsequent academic achievement, even after controlling for high school achievement and working memory capacity. Furthermore, indirect effects revealed that task- and disengagement-oriented coping explained 70% of the total effect.Conclusion: These findings outline that the effect of academic procrastination cannot be reduced to a history of academic difficulties or limited cognitive ability and that coping plays an important role in the procrastination - achievement relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: A growing body of work suggests individuals with more severe post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are at higher risk for developing problematic alcohol use outcomes. Extending work from the adult literature, the present study was the first to examine the extent to which PTSS is related to drinking motives for alcohol use in both clinical and non-clinical samples of adolescents.Design: Hierarchical regression analyses were used to predict coping motives for alcohol use from PTSS, above and beyond demographic variables, alcohol use frequency, and other alcohol use motives.Methods: Trauma-exposed adolescents before entering treatment (Sample 1 n = 41) and recruited from the local community (Sample 2 n = 55) self-reported on PTSS and alcohol use motives.Results: PTSS positively predicted coping motives for alcohol use after controlling for age, gender, and alcohol use frequency.Conclusions: The current study highlights the need to consider both PTSS severity, as well as underlying cognitive mechanisms (e.g., motives), to better understand the etiology of problematic alcohol use among trauma-exposed youth. Future work focused on clarifying the trajectory of alcohol use motives and problems as a function of PTSS is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: This research investigated how coping resources explain emotional reactions of anger and anxiety, in the context of threat of house demolition, among adolescents in three groups: Adolescents living in a recognized village with no demolition, adolescents living in an unrecognized village (by the Israeli government as legal) with no demolition, and adolescents living in an unrecognized village with demolition. The framework of this research is based on Antonovsky's salutogenic theory, which suggests examining ability to cope with stressful situations.Design: Multi-group cross-sectional study.Methods: The study was carried out during 2010-2011 and included 910 participants, of whom 411 adolescents lived in unrecognized villages where 193 of them experienced home demolition. Participants filled out a questionnaire including demographics, coping resources and emotional reactions.Results: Findings showed that stress reactions were the highest among adolescents from unrecognized villages with demolition. Personal sense of coherence (SOC) was related to fewer emotional reactions among the adolescents from recognized villages; among adolescents from unrecognized villages, especially adolescents living in an unrecognized village with demolition, a stronger SOC was linked to stronger emotional reactions.Conclusions: These findings have important implications for understanding the role of coping among youth from different cultural groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As an important group of health care professionals, paramedics accomplish sophisticated and frequently stressful tasks.Design: The study investigated self-reported stress burden, self-reported health status, coping strategies, personality traits and psychophysiological reactivity in paramedics.Methods: 30 paramedics were compared with 30 professionals from other disciplines, in terms of self-reported stress, physical complaints, coping strategies, personality traits and psychophysiological reactivity during aversive visual and acoustic stimuli, and cognitive challenge. Regression analyses were performed for the prediction of stress burden and physical complaints in paramedics according to coping and personality factors.Results: Paramedics reported lower stress and less somatic complaints, and exhibited reduced electrodermal activity and heart rate responses to experimental stimuli, as well as higher respiratory sinus arrhythmia. They indicated less negative coping strategies, reduced empathy, and higher conscientiousness and sensation seeking. Higher self-reported stress burden and more physical symptoms were associated inter alia with more negative coping strategies, less conscientiousness and lower empathy.Conclusion: The findings support the notion of reduced self-reported stress burden, and improved general health and stress resistance in paramedics. In addition to health benefits, stress tolerance may contribute to the prevention of performance decline during situations in which health and life are at stake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Parenting a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is challenging and can result in elevated levels of parenting stress. This study investigated the relationship between parent-ratings of their child's ASD symptoms and two conceptually different measures of parenting stress: One specific to the ASD context and the other a general stress measure applicable to the broader caregiving context. Additionally, the influence of coping style on the relationship between child's ASD symptoms and parenting stress was investigated.Design and Methods: Using an internet survey, parents (N = 178) caring for a child with ASD reported on coping strategies, completed two measures of parenting stress, and assessed their child's ASD symptoms.Results: Parenting stress increased with severity of the child's ASD symptoms, but the strength of this relationship depended on whether a general or disorder-specific measure of parenting stress was used. Regression analyses indicated that some coping strategies moderated the impact of ASD symptom severity on the parent's care-related stress, but moderation depended on how stress was conceptualized.Conclusion: This study reinforces the importance of identifying the coping strategies of parents of children with developmental disorders, and highlights the consequences of using different conceptual approaches to measure parenting stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives:Certain coping strategies, characterized by emotional coping or disengagement/ avoidance, have been linked to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and PTSD symptoms (PTSS). However, the role of primary trauma victims’ coping strategies in the intergenerational transmission of PTSS is still lacking. This prospective study assessed the mediating role of former prisoners of war’s (ex-POWs) coping strategies in the associations between ex-POWs’ PTSS and their adult offspring’s secondary PTSS in relation to their fathers’ captivity and psychiatric symptomatology. Design: A correlational, prospective study. Method: A sample from the 1973 Yom Kippur War composed of 79 Israeli ex-POW father-offspring dyads completed self-report measures. Fathers were assessed in 2001 and 2008, and their adult offspring participated in 2014. Results: ex-POWs’ problem-focused coping strategies of active coping and planning, as well as disengagement-oriented coping strategies of alcohol and substance use and venting of emotions, were negatively associated with offspring’s PTSS and psychiatric symptomatology. Importantly, ex-POWs’ venting of emotions mediated the link between ex-POWs’ PTSS and their offspring’s secondary PTSS. Conclusions: Ex-POWs with PTSS might expose their offspring to dysregulated mood, behaviors, and cognitions. Special awareness should be given to the venting of emotions coping style as possible mechanism for the intergenerational transmission of captivity-related PTSS. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background and Objectives: Developmental theorists posit that temperament contributes to preadolescent's stress response styles. Findings from empirical studies, however, have yielded mixed results, thus indicating a need to consider moderators of this relation. Utilizing an analytic framework guided by resiliency theory [Zimmerman, M. A. (2013). Resiliency theory: A strengths-based approach to research and practice for adolescent health. Health Education & Behavior, 40, 381-383], this study examined achievement goal orientation as a moderator of the relation between temperament and stress response styles.Methods: 96 preadolescent-parent dyads (Mage = 10.30 years, range = 9-12 years) participated in the study. Preadolescents reported on their achievement goal orientation, coping and involuntary stress responses (ISRs) styles and a parent reported on children's temperament.Results: Multiple regressions revealed that effortful control positively predicted preadolescent's predominant use of engagement coping and negatively predicted predominance of ISRs, but only for children with a predominant mastery goal orientation. For preadolescents with a predominant performance goal orientation, effortful control negatively predicted the predominant use of engagement coping and positively predicted predominance of ISRs. Negative affectivity and its interaction with goal orientation did not predict coping or ISR styles.Conclusions: Findings suggest that a predominant mastery goal orientation may function as a promotive factor by enhancing the contribution of effortful control to engagement coping styles and buffering against unmanaged reactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: In the related literature numerous instruments have been developed to measure children and adolescents' coping with stress. Considering the cultural differences in individuals' choice for coping strategies, along with the limitations of the existing measures of coping for children and adolescents (e.g., being derived from coping measures developed for adults; unrepresentative samples with limited age range, etc.), the current study aimed to construct a self-report coping scale for a non-western population of children and adolescents.Design and Methods: The study design included both qualitative and quantitative methodology. Three consecutive studies were conducted for the development and validation of the Children and Adolescents' Coping with Stress Scale (CACSS), a self-report measure assessing coping strategies of children and adolescents aged from 9 to 18 in response to self-identified stressors.Results: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses resulted in a 61-item CACSS with 10 factors. The scale appears to have a clear factor structure; sufficient temporal stability; and good convergent, discriminant, and construct validity.Conclusions: By addressing limitations of existing coping scales, CACSS is believed to contribute to the literature as a developmentally appropriate and multidimensional tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social support can serve as a protective factor against the negative impacts of stressors and may thereby promote well-being. As well, exogenous administration of oxytocin has been tied to diminished stress responses and might also enhance the effects of social support.Methods/results: In the current study, conducted among female undergraduate students (N = 67), higher depressive symptoms were related to lower endorsements of problem-focused coping in response to a psychosocial stressor comprising the Trier Social Stress test (TSST). However, the relation between depressive symptoms and problem-focused coping was absent among participants who had a close female friend present serving as social support prior to the stressor experience. Additionally, endogenous plasma oxytocin levels were related to certain coping strategies being favored (e.g., problem-solving, humor, cognitive distraction, self-blame and support seeking) in response to the psychosocial stressor. However, the strength of these relations varied as a function of whether individuals had social support present or not.Conclusion: These findings confirm the positive impact of social support in attenuating the relation between depressive symptoms and specific coping methods. The results of this study are consistent with view that oxytocin levels are accompanied by particular stress responses, possibly through the promotion of coping methods endorsed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vigilant coping is characterized by a deep processing of threat-related information. In many cases, vigilant coping increases stress symptoms, whereas avoidant coping decreases negative affect. However, vigilance may be beneficial when stress-eliciting situations involve a risk of injury or escalation as is usually the case in police operations.Design: We investigated the roles of vigilance and cognitive avoidance in police operations in a cross-sectional survey.Methods: The participants were 137 students (104 men, Mage = 28.54, SD = 8.04) from the Federal University of Applied Administrative Sciences; 76 of them were already police officers (work experience: M = 12.59 years), and 61 were police officer candidates who had completed a 3- to 6-month police internship. Participants completed a paper-and-pencil survey and reported their operational stress, dispositional vigilance and cognitive avoidance in police operations, and stress symptoms.Results: We found that vigilance was negatively associated with stress symptoms and moderated the relationship between operational stress and stress symptoms. Cognitive avoidance, on the other hand, just missed the level of statistical significance in our test of whether it was positively associated with stress symptoms.Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that vigilance may protect against the negative consequences of stress in police operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Women in Sri Lanka have been uniquely exposed to a complex and protracted set of stressors stemming from a civil war conflict spanning over 25 years and the tsunami which struck Southeast Asia in 2004. This study investigates coping strategies and their association with trauma-related symptoms of tsunami-exposed mothers in Sri Lanka at two time points.Design: Data for this study come from surveys administered in two waves of data collection to investigate both mothers' and adolescent children's post-tsunami mental health in early 2005, three months after the tsunami struck, and again in 2008, three years later.Methods: Latent-variable structural equation modeling was used to test the study hypotheses among 160 tsunami-affected mothers in the Polhena village, Matara district, Sri Lanka.Results: Among the various coping strategies examined, the use of cultural rituals as well as inner psychological strength was associated with lower levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms. In contrast, passive religious beliefs were associated with greater posttraumatic stress levels.Conclusions: The results of this study reveal the differential associations of various coping strategies including rituals used by mothers exposed to the tsunami in Sri Lanka and their posttraumatic stress symptom levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: In the context of highly stressful experiences, violations of beliefs and goals and meaning in life may have a reciprocal relationship over time. More violations may lead to lowered meaning, whereas higher meaning may lead to lowered violations. The present study examines this relationship among congestive heart failure (CHF) patients.Design: A cross-lagged panel design was used.Methods: CHF patients (N = 142) reported twice, six months apart, on their meaning in life and the extent to which CHF violates their beliefs and goals.Results: Overall, results were consistent with a reciprocal relationship, showing that greater goal violations led to negative subsequent changes in meaning, whereas greater meaning led to favorable subsequent changes in violations of beliefs and goals.Conclusions: Meaning in life and violations may contribute to one another, and therefore, in understanding the adjustment process, it is important to consider their interrelationship. The results are also broadly informative regarding the experience of meaning, showing that disruption of beliefs and goals may undermine meaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Past research underscores the key role of coping strategies in the development, maintenance, and exacerbation of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The goal of the current study was to extend existing literature by examining whether race/ethnicity moderates the relations among coping strategies (social support, problem-solving, avoidance) and PTSD symptom clusters (intrusion, avoidance, numbing, arousal).Methods: Participants were 369 community women (134 African Americans, 131 Latinas, 104 Whites) who reported bidirectional aggression with a current male partner. Multigroup path analysis was utilized to test the moderating role of race/ethnicity in a model linking coping strategies to PTSD symptom clusters.Results: The strength and direction of relations among coping strategies and PTSD symptom clusters varied as a function of race/ethnicity. Greater social support coping was related to more arousal symptoms for Latinas and Whites. Greater problem-solving coping was related to fewer arousal symptoms for Latinas. Greater avoidance coping was related to more symptoms across many of the PTSD clusters for African Americans, Latinas, and Whites, however, these relations were strongest for African Americans.Conclusion: Results provide support for the moderating role of race/ethnicity in the relations among coping strategies and PTSD symptom clusters, and highlight potential targets for culturally informed PTSD treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Basic human values have been categorized into two dimensions: those that are self or agentically focused, and those that are other or communally focused. We apply this model to cognitive appraisals of stress and argue that threat appraisals also fall into these two dimensions. The mediating roles of communal and agentic threats in linking stressors with coping responses were examined.Design: A daily process methodology was used.Methods: Three-hundred and fifty undergraduate students were followed midday and evening over one week, completing structured electronic diaries regarding their experiences of the past half-day. Participants described stressors in open-ended format, which were then coded into social stress, achievement stress, and other stress categories. They also completed scales measuring stress appraisals and coping.Results: Communal threat mediated links between social stressors and empathic responding, support seeking, and confrontation. Agentic threat mediated links between achievement stressors and empathic responding, support seeking, confrontation, and problem solving.Conclusions: Individuals tend to cope in ways that maintain communion when they perceive communion to be threatened; they tend to cope in ways that maintain agency when they perceive agency to be threatened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Our knowledge with respect to psychological, endocrine, and neural correlates of attentional bias in individuals with high vulnerability to developing depression - the subclinically depressed, still remains limited.Design: The study used a 2 × 2 mixed design.Methods: Attentional bias toward happy and sad faces in healthy (N = 26) and subclinically depressed individuals (N = 22) was assessed via a neuroimaging dot-probe attention task. Participants also completed trait and state psychological measures and provided saliva samples for cortisol analysis.Results: The subclinical group showed attentional bias toward happy faces; past use of problem-focused coping strategies when dealing with a personally relevant stressor as well as state levels of anxiety, together, contributed to this bias. In the control group, the happy attentional bias was positively correlated with activity in the right caudate. In the subclinical group, the bias was negatively associated with the left fusiform gyrus and positively with the left inferior parietal lobule and bilateral putamen. We observed group differences in association between cortisol levels during the task and neural activity during happy attentional bias processing within the key regions involved in attention.Conclusions: The attentional bias toward happy faces may reflect an active coping attempt by the subclinical participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]