Situational coping and coping dispositions in a stressful transaction.
After reporting dispositional coping styles, students reported situational coping and 4 classes of affect (from threat, challenge, harm, and benefit appraisals) 2 days before an exam, after the exam but before grades were posted, and after posting of grades. Coping did not predict lower levels of future distress; indeed, some coping seemed to induce feelings of threat. Feelings of harm before the exam induced several kinds of coping after the exam, mostly dysfunctional. Confidence about one's grade was a better predictor of emotions throughout than was coping. Dispositional coping predicted comparable situational coping at low-moderate levels in most cases. Coping dispositions did not reliably predict emotions, however, with these exceptions: Dispositional denial was related to threat, as was dispositional use of social support; dispositional use of alcohol was related to both threat and harm.
Carver
C S
CS
Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33124-2070.
Scheier
M F
MF
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology