According to Smith, Martin M., Saklofske, Donald H., et.

al (2016) certain coping strategies alleviate

stress and promote positive psychological outcomes, whereas others exacerbate stress and promote
negative psychological outcomes. However, the efficacy of any given coping strategy may also depend
on personal resiliency. This study examined whether personal resiliency moderated the effects of task-
oriented, avoidance-oriented, and emotion-oriented coping strategies on measures of depression,
anxiety, stress, positive affect, negative affect, and satisfaction with life.

Coping strategies refer to cognitive and behavioral efforts to modulate internal and external demands
appraised as exceeding personal resources (Endler & Parker, 1990; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Research
suggests certain coping strategies alleviate stress and promote positive psychological outcomes,
whereas others exacerbate stress and promote negative psychological outcomes (Endler & Parker, 1994;
Parker & Endler, 1992)

Of the numerous strategies individuals use to cope with stress, three types have been studied the most:
task-oriented coping, emotion-oriented coping, and avoidance-oriented coping (Cohan, Jang, & Stein,
2006; Endler & Parker, 1990). Task-oriented coping is characterized by strategies in which individuals
attempt to reconceptualise or find solutions to the problem causing distress (e.g., action planning,
problem solving, positive reappraisal). Emotion-oriented coping is characterized by strategies in which
individuals attempt to regulate the negative emotionality associated with a perceived stressor by
engaging in conscious activities related to affect regulation (e.g., emotional disclosure, seeking social-
emotional support; Austenfeld & Stanton, 2004).

Whether individuals choose to tackle, tolerate, or escape perceived stressors depends on their
appraisals of coping resources as either sufficient or lacking, as well as their appraisal of situations as
either manageable or uncontrollable (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984).

Whether individuals choose to tackle, tolerate, or escape perceived stressors depends on their
appraisals of coping resources as either sufficient or lacking, as well as their appraisal of situations as
either manageable or uncontrollable (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984).

Research suggests personal resiliency is a multifaceted competency stemming from three underlying
developmental systems: sense of mastery, sense of relatedness, and emotional reactivity (Prince-
Embury, 2007; Masten, 2001).
According to Ballesteros, D. & Whitlock, J.L. (2009) stress can be a result of both positive and negative
experiences, and it is a necessary part of our daily lives. From an evolutionary standpoint stress was
necessary for survival (i.e., imagine hunting large prey on which one’s entire tribe is dependent) and
some stress continues to be a helpful part of our modern lives since it motivates us to accomplish tasks
or make needed changes. We all feel the pressure of our environment during times of transition.