title: Assessing coping flexibility in real-life and laboratory settings: a multimethod approach.
abstract: This research sought to formulate a theoretically based conceptualization of coping flexibility and to adopt a multimethod approach in assessing this construct. A self-report daily measure and an experiment were designed geared to theoretical and empirical grounds. The new daily measure was used in Study 1 to examine coping flexibility in a life transition. Findings showed individual differences in patterns of coping flexibility across different real-life stressful events. In Study 2, coping flexibility was examined in both real-life and laboratory settings. Results replicated those of Study 1 and further revealed consistency between the self-report and the experiment data. Study 3 extended previous studies by adopting a longitudinal design over a 3-month time span. Participants' flexibility in coping with laboratory tasks was found to predict how flexible they would be in handling real-life stressful events.
authors.affiliation: Division of Social Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. c.cheng@ust.hk
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010555:Personality Inventory; D013315:Stress, Psychological