Coping with dental treatment: The potential impact of situational demands

Abstract

Coping strategies and anxiety responding of dental patients were studied in order to test the generalizability of previous findings based on volunteer blood donors. State and trait coping measures were administered once, and a process coping scale was administered at three points throughout treatment. Self-report, behavioral observation, and psychophysiological measures of anxiety were sampled for the same periods as process coping. Findings included the replication of a negative relationship between avoidant coping and patient anxiety ratings. Fluctuations in coping were evident across periods, and impact of situational demands and constraints was introduced as an explanation for these variations. A method for direct assessment of coping consistency was introduced. On the basis of the replicable associations with anxiety measures, the ability to detect changes in coping within a situation, and the ability to provide direct evidence of coping consistency, the use of process methodology for coping assessment is encouraged.

Psychological investigation of genital herpes recurrence: Prospective assessment of cognitive-behavioral intervention for a chronic physical disorder.

“…Participants were classified according to their predominant method of coping over the 35 days of recording in order to compress the data (see Wong & Kaloupek, 1986). All participants were either predominantly avoidant ( n = 10) or behavioral ( n = 6); none were predominantly cognitive in their method of coping.…”

Coping patterns and affective reactions under community crisis and daily routine conditions

“…One important dimension of potential match between coping and situational appraisals is that of control. Research suggests that in situations not amenable to personal control, emotion-focused or avoidant strategies may be adaptive (Collins, Baum, & Singer, 1983;Wong & Kaloupek, 1986). If some degree of control over the situation is possible, problem-focused strategies appear to play the major role in effective coping (e.g., Forsythe & Compas, 1987).…”

Stress, coping, HIV status, psychosocial resources, and depressive mood in African American gay, bisexual, and heterosexual men

“…Coping strategies involve efforts to alter the cause of the stress (problem-focused coping) and efforts to regulate emotional responses to the stressors (emotion-focused coping). In this study, we examined the ways African American men actually coped with a recent stressful event.Studies of the effect of coping on psychological distress have typically shown that emotion-focused coping that involves avoidance or denial coping, is positively related to reports of depressed mood (e.g., Aldwin & Revenson, 1987; AspinwaU & Taylor, 1992;Bolger, 1990;Carver et al, 1993;Cronkite & Moos, 1984;Felton & Revenson, 1984; Folkrnan & Lazarus, 1986;Holahan & Moos, 1987;Kiyak, Vitaliano, & Crinean, 1988;Litt et al, 1992;Quinn, Fontana, & Reznikoff, 1987;Rohde, Lewinsohn, Tilson, & Seeley, 1990;Suls & Fletcher, 1985;Wills, 1986;Wong & Kaloupek, 1986) and problem-focused coping is associated with reduced distress (Aidwin & Revenson, 1987; Coyne, Aidwin, & Lazarus, 1981;Folkman et al, 1986b).Other studies on coping with AIDS or HIV infection, primarily among white gay or bisexual men, have also shown that avoidance coping is associated with worse mood state (Fleishman & Fogel, 1994;Folkman, Chesney, Pollack, & Coates, 1993;Kurdek & Siesky, 1990;Leserman et al, 1992; Namir, Wolcott, Fawzy, & Aiumbaugh, 1987;Nicholson & Long, 1990;Reed, Kemeny, & Taylor, 1990; Storosum, Van den Boom, Van Beauzekem, & Sno, 1990;Wolf et al, 1991) while active-positive coping is associated with less mood disturbance or no association with mood state (Nicholson & Long, 1990). Also, although the number of African American participants was small (n = 17), Leserman et al (1992) found that African American gay men, relative to white gay men, reported more denial coping, which was associated with greater depression.…”