Styles of coping with threat: Implications for health.

Miller, Suzanne M., Brody, David S., Summerton, Jeffrey·1988·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Abstract

We explored individual differences in health-seeking behavior and health status in a primary care population. Specifically, we compared high monitors (those who typically scan for threat-relevant information) with low monitors (those who typically ignore threat-relevant information), while controlling for depression. Overall, high monitors came to the physician with less severe medical problems than did low monitors. Nevertheless, high monitors reported equivalent levels of discomfort, dysfunction, and distress compared with low monitors. Furthermore, during the week following their visit, high monitors expressed less symptom improvement in both physical and psychological problems than did low monitors. Finally, high monitors demanded more tests, information, and counseling during their visit than did their low monitoring counterparts, yet desired a less active role in their own care. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

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Cited by (15)

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    Carver, Charles S., Scheier, Michael F., Weintraub, Jagdish K. · 1989 · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
  2. Multidimensional assessment of coping: a critical evaluation
    Endler, Norman S., Parker, James D. · 1990 · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
  3. Psychological adjustment in breast cancer: Processes of emotional distress.
    Epping-Jordan, JoAnne E., Compas, Bruce E., Osowiecki, Dana M., Oppedisano, Gerri, Gerhardt, Cynthia, Primo, Kari, Krag, David N. · 1999 · Health Psychology
  4. Beyond attentional strategies: a cognitive-perceptual model of somatic interpretation
    Cioffi, Delia · 1991 · Psychological Bulletin
  5. Some characteristics of worrying: Evidence for worrying and anxiety as separate constructs
    Davey, Graham C.L., Hampton, James, Farrell, Jola, Davidson, Sue · 1992 · Personality and Individual Differences

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This page
CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Styles of coping with threat: Implications for health. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1037//0022-3514.54.1.142
The paper
Miller, S. M., Brody, D. S., & Summerton, J. (1988). Styles of coping with threat: Implications for health. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.54.1.142

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Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).

Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.