Frequency of use and impact of coping strategies assessed by the COPE Inventory and their relationships to post-event health and well-being

Abstract

In dealing with a stressful event, 440 participants reported how frequently they used a variety of different coping strategies, rated their separate impacts on problems and the associated emotions, and reported their effects on subsequent health and well-being. Coping strategies did not generally impact problems or emotions differently. Use of planning led to increased self-efficacy, which along with positive reinterpretation, predicted growth. Emotional venting and behavioral disengagement predicted diminishment, which along with mental disengagement and self-injury, predicted illness. Social support buffered against diminishment. Use of acceptance coping and seeking advice from others had both positive and negative effects on well-being.