Fathers' cognitive appraisals, coping strategies, and support resources as correlates of adjustment to parenthood.

Adjustment to parenthood was explored among fathers by applying R. S. Lazarus's (1993) theoretical model of stress and coping. Within a longitudinal framework, the assessment of 90 primiparous fathers and 90 primiparous mothers included measures of cognitive appraisals of parenting, coping strategies used to deal with parenting issues, and support resources at 1 month postpartum. Adjustment to parenthood in terms of well-being and involvement with the infant was assessed at 12 months postpartum by means of measures of parental burnout as well as observed caregiving and affiliative behaviors. Patterns of appraisals, coping strategies, and support resources related to parenting were both found to differ substantially between fathers and mothers and to be differentially associated with adjustment to parenthood. The results are discussed in light of the socialization theory and the role constraint theory explaining gender differences in the coping processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive appraisals, neuroticism, and openness as correlates of coping strategies: An integrative model of adptation to marital difficulties.

Investigated the factors related to the choice of 2 coping strategies, distancing/avoidance and planful problem-solving, in the context of marital relationships. The role of cognitive appraisals of marital difficulties, and personality traits of neuroticism and openness, in the choice of coping strategies used to solve marital difficulties was investigated with a sample of 200 couples (women aged 18-60 yrs; men aged 19-69 yrs). Results of standard multiple regression analyses showed for both genders that neuroticism was positively associated with distancing/avoidance, whereas openness was positively associated with planful problem-solving. In addition, results indicated that an individual who appraised his or her marital difficulties as threatening, compared to his or her resources, was more likely to use distancing/avoidance as coping strategy. Implications of these findings for coping theories are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social support, appraisals of event controllability, and coping: An integrative model.

An integrative model of mediating and moderating mechanisms in the coping process was examined in a 2-yr prospective framework with 175 college students using both single-group and multigroup LISREL analyses. Consistent with the hypothesized model, initial parental support was associated with subsequent changes in psychological adjustment both directly and indirectly through adaptive coping strategies. Moreover, as predicted, appraisals of event controllability moderated both the degree to which parental support influenced coping and the effectiveness of coping responses. With controllable events, family support predicted adaptive coping, and coping predicted changes in adjustment. With uncontrollable events, family support related directly to changes in adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive appraisals and problem-directed coping: A prospective study of stress.

Information-seeking and problem-directed coping behaviors following a stressful event were observed as a function of cognitive appraisals of the coping resources of 138 undergraduates. Subjectively defined failure on a college exam served as an example of a mild stressor. Prior to the 1st midterm exam, Ss generated alternative strategies that could be used in the event of dissatisfaction with performance and rated the feasibility of using these strategies. Academic coping behaviors were measured by self-report and direct observation during the 3 wks prior to the next exam. Results show that coping cognitions predicted academic behaviors but not exam scores. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social support and coping strategies as mediators of adult adjustment following childhood maltreatment

Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to examine whether coping efforts and social support mediate the long-term sequelae of child maltreatment. The hypothesized SEM fit the data well and indicated that the association between previous childhood sexual and physical maltreatment and current psychological adjustment appeared to be strongly mediated by social support and coping strategies. In this sample of 302 female and male university students, most of whom reported at least one episode of childhood maltreatment, perceived social support and ways of coping with earlier maltreatment appeared essential to an understanding of the relationship between childhood maltreatment and later adjustment.     

Cognitive strategies, expectancy, and coping style in the control of pain.

Measures of tolerance, self-reported pain threshold, and overall discomfort of cold-pressor pain were obtained from 114 male undergraduates in a pretest–training–posttest experiment. Training consisted of brief practice in 1 of 4 cognitive strategies: rational thinking, compatible imagery, incompatible imagery, and task-irrelevant cognition. Analyses of covariance indicated that (a) cognitive-imaginal strategies facilitated endurance of pain and raised self-reported threshold, (b) rational thinking and compatible imagery were generally the most effective treatments, (c) expectancy alone was not a significant pain-attenuating factor, (d) treatments did not affect discomfort ratings, and (e) individual differences in imaginal ability and coping style did not correlate with changes in any of the dependent measures. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital conflict, gender, and children's appraisals and coping efficacy as mediators of child adjustment.

The role of children's perceptions and appraisals in the impact of marital conflict was examined for 51 9- to 12-yr-olds from intact families. Gender differences were found in the cognitions and coping processes related to marital conflict and child adjustment. Appraisals of coping efficacy and the threat posed by marital conflict predicted adjustment in boys, whereas self-blame was linked with internalizing problems for girls. The appraised destructiveness of conflict was significantly related to perceived threat in boys and self-blame in girls. Boys appeared more attuned or, alternatively, less shielded from marital conflict, as reflected by the higher correlations with mothers' reports of marital conflict for boys than for girls. The significance of boys' appraisals to adjustment was suggested by the fact that boys' perceptions were better predictors of adjustment outcomes than were mothers' reports. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dysphoria: Relations to appraisals, coping, and adjustment.

Previous research has shown that individual differences in dysphoria are linked to adjustment, but the potential mediating influence of appraisals and coping has not been studied until now (R. Lazarus & S. Folkman, 1984). This study examined the direct and indirect influences of dysphoria on primary and secondary appraisal, coping, and psychological and physical adjustment in 361 college students. Results from conducting path analyses indicated that the link between dysphoria and adjustment was mediated by appraisals and coping. These results also suggest that dysphoria has both direct and indirect influences on adjustment. Implications for future research and development of appropriate interventions for working with dysphorics are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Care of stroke patients by relatives--social support and coping strategies

OBJECTIVE: To assess the coping ability and the social support of relatives looking after patients who have had a stroke. Of special interest was to ascertain how coping behaviour and social support differed between short-term (caring period of 3-6 months) and long-term (caring period longer than 2 years) carers. Differences in social networking between relatives and a control group (no caring tasks) were also assessed. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A questionnaire based on the well-established "Berne coping forms" and another on social support were filled in by 20 relatives (18 women, two men; mean age 50.6 years) after a short-term caring period of up to 6 months and 20 relatives after a caring period longer than 2 years (14 women, six men; mean age 64.9 years) and a control group (27 women, 10 men; mean age 57.8 years). RESULTS: Among the total group of relatives the coping strategies (listed by order of importance) were: "passive cooperation", "acceptance", and "lending a hand". The short- and long-term carers showed no significant differences in these strategies. However, there were significant deficits in social support between the relatives and the controls as to practical support (P < 0.05), social integration (P < 0.01), social support received (P < 0.01), social burden (P < 0.01) and the caring persons (P < 0.05). There was no difference regarding social support between the short- and long-term carers. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm the importance of social support for relatives who look after stroke patients. Every form of psychosocial help should be given at the time the patient is discharged to home care. This would require day clinics and short-term places in nursing homes.     

Family support, coping strategies, and depressive symptoms among mothers of children with diabetes.

This study tested an integrative cross-sectional model of the roles of family support and maternal coping strategies in predicting reduced depressive symptomatology among 52 mothers of children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The authors tested their predictive framework in a structural equation model using LISREL analyses (K. G. J?reskog & D. S?rbom 1989). The predictive model provided a good fit to the data. Family support was significantly related to percentage approach coping, and percentage approach coping was significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Thus, as predicted, family support showed an indirect relationship to mothers' depressive symptoms mediated by maternal percentage approach coping. More broadly, the study contributes to an emerging interest in bridging the literatures in family psychology and pediatric health psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-esteem, social support, internalized homophobia, and coping strategies of HIV+ gay men.

The relationship was examined between self-esteem, social support, internalized homophobia, and coping strategies used by gay men (N?=?89) who were positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and between the use of coping strategies and mood state. Multiple regressions were conducted with avoidant (escape avoidance, accepting responsibility) and proactive (seeking social support, planful problem solving) coping serving as criterion variables. Greater homophobia and less self-esteem predicted avoidant coping, whereas less homophobia and less time since diagnosis predicted proactive coping. Greater time since diagnosis, less avoidant coping, less homophobia, and greater self-esteem predicted better mood state and accounted for 50% of the total variance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive and behavioral coping strategies in the reappraisal of stressful social situations.

Compared cognitive and behavioral coping strategies for eliciting reappraisal of stressful social situations in 22 male and 27 female 7th and 8th graders. In the cognitive coping condition Ss were trained to attend objectively to the aversive cues in the stimulus person and were encouraged to reconsider their aversiveness. In the behavioral coping condition Ss were trained to develop more adequate behaviors for coping with the stressful situation. These 2 strategies were tested alone and in combination against an identification-control condition. The coping strategies were more effective in eliciting positive reappraisal of the stressful situation than was the control condition. The behavioral coping strategy resulted in a greater reduction of cue aversiveness. Findings stress the importance of behavioral coping in the reappraisal of stressful stimuli. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personal resilience, cognitive appraisals, and coping: an integrative model of adjustment to abortion

We hypothesized that the effects of personality (self-esteem, control, and optimism) on postabortion adaptation (distress, well-being, and decision satisfaction) would be fully mediated by preabortion cognitive appraisals (stress appraisals and self-efficacy appraisals) and postabortion coping. We further proposed that the effects of preabortion appraisals on adaptation would be fully mediated by postabortion coping. Results of a longitudinal study of 527 women who had first-trimester abortions supported our hypotheses. Women with more resilient personalities appraised their abortion as less stressful and had higher self-efficacy for coping with the abortion. More positive appraisals predicted greater acceptance/reframing coping and lesser avoidance/denial, venting, support seeking, and religious coping. Acceptance-reframing predicted better adjustment on all measures, whereas avoidance-denial and venting related to poorer adjustment on all measures. Greater support seeking was associated with reduced distress, and greater religious coping was associated with less decision satisfaction.     

Social support, knowledge of infant development, and maternal confidence among adolescent and adult mothers

The action of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and related inflammatory mediators on the formation of hypoxic pulmonary arterial hypertension was studied. 30 Sprague-Dawley rats were equally divided into three groups at random: normal control group, hypoxic group and the group pretreated with dexamethasone plus hypoxia. The pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) was measured by inserting a microcatheter into the pulmonary artery. After 30 min of hypoxia, the activity of PLA2, platelet activating factor (PAF), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and thromboxane B2 (TXB2) were measured in blood and lung tissue, and it was found that the mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP), the PLA2 activity, PGE2, TXB2 and PAF in blood and lung tissue were significantly increased; but pretreatment with dexamethasone relieved the changes mentioned above. In hypoxia, a positive correlations was found between the PLA2 activity and mPAP, PAF, PGE2, TXB2 respectively; positive correlations were also found between PAF, PGE2, TXB2 and mPAP. In conclusion, PLA2 induced the release of inflammation mediators, which may play roles in the formation of the acute hypoxic pulmonary arterial hypertension.     

Cognitive coping strategies and blood pressure responses to real-life stress in healthy young men.

10 high- and 10 low-self-focused-coping (SFC) male college students (aged 18–22 yrs) were tested with ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring on 2 typical schooldays, one of which included an examination. The high-SFC Ss (those who tend to keep to themselves and/or blame themselves in stressful situations) showed higher BP responses on the exam day, not only during the exam, but also during other activities throughout the same day, including evening rest. Results are discussed in terms of the relation between psychological and physiological responding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stress, appraisal, coping, and social support as predictors of adaptational outcome among dementia caregivers.

A stress and coping model was used to study predictors of individual differences in caregiver adaptation. A total of 54 family caregivers of elderly dementia patients completed interviews and questionnaires assessing the severity of patient impairment and caregiving stressors; caregiver appraisals, coping responses, and social support and activity; and caregiver outcomes, including depression, life satisfaction, and self-rated health. Correlational and regression analyses supported the utility of the stress and coping model. Appraisal, coping responses, and social support and activity were significant predictors of caregiver outcome, even when severity of caregiving stressors was statistically controlled. The importance of a multidimensional approach to assessing caregiver outcomes was supported by regression analyses indicating that each caregiver outcome was predicted by different patterns of stressors, appraisal, coping, and social support and activity. Results are discussed in terms of a stress and coping model of caregiving, and clinical implications for work with caregiving families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personalized inferences of emotions and appraisals: Component processes and correlates.

Examined children's abilities to consider other people's personal history when inferring their cognitive appraisals and probable emotional reactions. Study 1 explored the sources of children's difficulty in making personalized inferences of emotion. Interviewed children averaging 6, 8, and 11 years of age about a series of stories describing a person's behavior or experience in one situation, followed by a second, related situation, or about partial stories. The youngest children had trouble figuring out mental appraisals from personal history information. Older children were capable of inferring appraisals but had trouble applying them to later situations when both steps were required to infer the person's emotion. Study 2 examined the extent to which social and cognitive factors are associated with the ability to make personalized inferences among 8-year-olds. The tendency to make personalized inferences of appraisals was more clearly associated with sociometric status than with cognitive capacity measures, suggesting that this may be an important element of children's social competence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-evaluative appraisals of coping capability and posttraumatic distress following motor vehicle accidents.

This study tested the importance of coping self-efficacy (CSE) perceptions and change in perceptions of CSE for recovery from motor vehicle accident (MVA) trauma. Data were collected 7 days following the accident (Time 1; n = 163), 1 month after the accident (Time 2; n = 91), and 3 months after the accident (Time 3; n = 70). Early changes in CSE (i.e., from Time 1 to Time 2) predicted posttraumatic distress at 3 months after MVA trauma, even after controlling for Time 1 or Time 2 posttraumatic distress and other trauma-related variables (i.e., accident responsibility, litigation involvement, and peritraumatic dissociation). Early changes in CSE perceptions, however, neither moderated nor mediated the effects of early posttraumatic distress (Time 1) on 3-month posttraumatic distress. Time 2 CSE levels, however, did mediate the relationship between acute posttraumatic distress (Time 1) and 3-month posttraumatic distress (Time 3). These findings highlight the importance of early interventions aimed at strengthening self-efficacy after MVA trauma. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuroticism, coping strategies, and negative well-being among caregivers.

Neuroticism was incorporated into a model for predicting the well-being of family caregivers. Using data from 596 women with an adult child with a chronic disability, the model hypothesizes direct effects of neuroticism on a caregiver's perceptions of the stressor, on her wishful-escapism and problem-focused coping, and on psychological well-being. Results indicate that neuroticism exerts direct and indirect effects on negative well-being. Results also indicate that stressors have direct effects on both wishful-escapism coping and problem-focused coping. Burden had direct effects on negative psychological well-being. Diagnosis influences the model by having direct effects on stressors and wishful-escapism coping but not on problem-focused coping or burden. Inclusion of individual level variables, such as neuroticism, results in a substantial amount of explained variance in negative well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Domestic violence, maternal parenting, maternal mental health, and infant externalizing behavior.

This study examined whether maternal functioning mediated the relationship between domestic violence (DV) and infant externalizing behavior. Participants were 203 mother-infant dyads. Support was found for a partially mediated model in which maternal functioning mediated the relationship between current DV and infant externalizing behaviors. Past DV was directly associated with infants' externalizing behavior. Results suggest the need for early intervention and prevention efforts for families living with DV. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)