Assessing coping strategies: A theoretically based approach.
Abstract
We developed a multidimensional coping inventory to assess the different ways in which people respond to stress. Five scales (of four items each) measure conceptually distinct aspects of problem-focused coping (active coping, planning, suppression of competing activities, restraint coping, seeking of instrumental social support); five scales measure aspects of what might be viewed as emotional-focused coping (seeking of emotional social support, positive reinterpretation, acceptance, denial, turning to religion); and three scales measure coping responses that arguably are less useful (focus on and venting of emotions, behavioral disengagement, mental disengagement). Study 1 reports the development of scale items. Study 2 reports correlations between the various coping scales and several theoretically relevant personality measures in an effort to provide preliminary information about the inventory's convergent and discriminant validity. Study 3 uses the inventory to assess coping responses among a group of undergraduates who were attempting to cope with a specific stressful episode. This study also allowed an initial examination of associations between dispositional and situational coping tendencies.
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Coping strategies can facilitate recovery when adaptive, but may hinder adjustment when maladaptive or rigidly applied.
“These observations underscore the dual nature of coping processes: coping strategies can facilitate recovery when adaptive, but may hinder adjustment when maladaptive or rigidly applied (73).”
From Coping strategies and psychological outcomes following the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes: a systematic review with meta-analytic synthesis (2026) · cites this paper as [73]
Dysfunctional and emotion-oriented coping styles contributed to psychological distress among UMS front liners.
“Dysfunctional and emotion-oriented coping styles contributed to psychological distress, dovetailing with predominant research [31,35,53,56,57,58].”
From Seroprevalence of COVID-19 and Psychological Distress among Front Liners at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah Campus during the Third Wave of COVID-19 (2022) · cites this paper as [56]
Accepting TS, unlike suppression or avoidance, can function as an effective emotion regulation strategy.
“In contrast, accepting TS, unlike suppression or avoidance, can function as an effective emotion regulation strategy (48, 49), and this ability to regulate emotion helps one to understand oneself and their condition systematically.”
From How do children with Tourette’s syndrome and their caregivers live with the disorder? A systematic review of qualitative evidence (2022) · cites this paper as [48]
Avoidant coping strategies are associated with negative physical and mental health outcomes and poor Quality of Life.
“whereas avoidant coping strategies are associated with negative physical and mental health outcomes [10,13] and poor Quality of Life (QoL; [14]).”
From Coping strategies and their impact on quality of life and physical disability of people with multiple sclerosis (2021) · cites this paper as [10]
Avoidance strategies have traditionally been viewed as ineffective and associated with psychiatric disorders, such as PTSD, anxiety and major depression, while approach coping strategies are considered beneficial in terms of managing stress and regaining emotional balance.
“Nevertheless, avoidance strategies have traditionally been viewed as ineffective and associated with psychiatric disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and major depression (Santarnecchi et al., 2018), while approach coping strategies are considered beneficial in terms of managing stress and regaining emotional balance (Carver et al., 1989).”
From Exploring anxiety, uncertainty perception, treatment experiences and coping strategies: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. (2025) · cites this paper as Carver et al., 1989
In a study by Hausmann and colleagues, participants asked to complete positive activities reported improvements in pain scores from baseline to 6 months.
“In one study by Hausmann and colleagues 64, participants who were asked to complete positive activities (e.g., listing three good things about their day) reported improvements in pain scores from baseline to 6 months.”
From Evaluating psychosocial contributions to chronic pain outcomes (2018) · cites this paper as [64]
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References 76 · Cited by 11,507
- Authors
- Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., & Weintraub, J. K.
- Affiliations
- University of Miami (US)
- ORCID
- Carver, Charles S.
- Venue
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- Published
- 1989
- Volume
- 56
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 267-283
- ISSN
- 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1315
- OpenAlex
- W2165167678
- Cited by
- 11,507
- References
- 76
- Citations by year
- 2026: 341 · 2025: 479 · 2024: 529 · 2023: 624 · 2022: 722 · 2021: 671 · 2020: 568 · 2019: 439 · 2018: 455 · 2017: 432 · 2016: 477 · 2015: 511 · 2014: 478 · 2013: 472 · 2012: 455
- FWCI
- 40.94
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Resilience and Mental Health
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Speech and Hearing › Problem Solving Skills Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Student Stress and Coping
- Keywords
- coping strategies, stress, problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, social support seeking, positive reappraisal, acceptance, denial, behavioral disengagement, mental disengagement, dispositional coping, personality
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Denial, Psychological, Emotions, Humans, Individuality, Personality Inventory, Psychological Theory, Social Support, Stress, Psychological
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