Coping (psychology)

 In psychology, coping is expending

conscious effort to solve personal and
interpersonal problems, and seeking to
master, minimize or tolerate stress or
conflict.

 Psychological coping mechanisms are

commonly termed coping strategies or
coping skills.
 Types of coping strategies

1. appraisal-focused:

• Directed towards challenging one's own

assumptions

• Adaptive cognitive

• People may alter the way they think about a

problem by altering their goals and values.

• *occur when the person modifies the way they

think,
Types of coping strategies

2. problem-focused:

• Directed towards reducing or eliminating a

stressor

• adaptive behavioral

• People using problem-focused strategies try to

deal with the cause of their problem.

• They do this by finding out information on the

problem and learning new skills to manage the
problem.
 Types of coping strategies
3. Emotion-focused:
• Directed towards changing one's own
emotional reaction

• Involve releasing pent-up emotions,

distracting oneself, managing hostile
feelings, meditating or using systematic
relaxation procedures.

• Emotion-focused coping "is oriented

toward managing the emotions that
accompany the perception of stress3
 What is the focus of this coping
mechanism?
 The focus of this coping mechanism is to change
the meaning of the stressor or transfer attention
away from it.

For example, reappraising tries to find a more

positive meaning of the cause of the stress in
order to reduce the emotional component of the
stressor. Avoidance of the emotional distress will
distract from the negative feelings associated
with the stressor. Emotion-focused coping is well
suited for stressors that seem uncontrollable (ex. a
terminal illness diagnosis, or the loss of a loved
one).
Some mechanisms of emotion focused coping,
such as distancing or avoidance, can have
alleviating outcomes for a short period of time,
however they can be detrimental when used
over an extended period. Positive emotion-
focused mechanisms, such as seeking social
support, and positive re-appraisal, are associated
with beneficial outcomes.
Which type is more useful?
 Typically, people use a mixture of all three
types of coping strategies, and coping
skills will usually change over time

 All these methods can prove useful, but

some claim that those using problem-
focused coping strategies will adjust
better to life.
Problem-focused versus
emotion-focused
 Problem-focused coping
mechanisms may allow an
individual greater perceived
control over their problem,
whereas emotion-focused
coping may sometimes lead to
a reduction in perceived control
(maladaptive coping).
 Measuring Coping

Different standardized scales are available

1. Coping Response Inventory (CRI)

2. COPE inventory
3. Carver Brief Coping Inventory
4. Coping Self Efficacy Scale (CSES)
5. The Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS)
6. The Proactive Coping Inventory (PCI)
7. The Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI)
 Coping Response Inventory
• A brief self-report inventory, the CRI identifies the
cognitive and behavioral responses an individual
used to cope with a recent problem or stressful
situation

• Forms are customized to your client’s age

• The CRI–Adult is for clients older than 18 years of

age

• The CRI–Youth is for clients ages 12-18 years.

• Each has its own manual and set of forms.

• The Actual Form surveys the individual’s actual

coping behavior, whereas the Ideal Form
surveys preferred coping styles.

• The Ideal Form may be used to compare

actual and preferred coping styles, to set
treatment goals, and to monitor progress.

• Both forms are written at a 6th-grade reading

level.
Identify strategies and monitor
treatment
• Helps you identify and monitor coping
strategies in adults and adolescents, develop
better clinical case descriptions, and plan and
evaluate the outcome of treatment.

• An excellent resource for clinicians and for

researchers involved in teaching, research,
and/or grant writing, the manual supplement
includes a review of studies that have utilized
the CRI to examine coping and well-being in
children, adolescents, and adults.
• Eight scales cover the areas of
• Approach coping styles
• Logical Analysis
• Positive Reappraisal
• Seeking Guidance and Support
• Problem Solving
• Avoidant coping styles
• Cognitive Avoidance
• Acceptance or Resignation
• Seeking Alternative Rewards
• Emotional Discharge.
• The first two scales in each set measure
cognitive coping strategies; the third and fourth
scales in each set measure behavioral coping
strategies.
• Each of these eight dimensions or scales is
composed of six items-making up 48 coping
items

• Individuals select and describe a recent (focal)

stressor and use a four-point scale varying from
‘not at all’ to ‘fairly often’ to rate their reliance
on each

• The CRI-Adult also includes a set of 10 items

that provide information on how the individual
appraises the focal stressor and its outcome.
• The 10 appraisal items cover the context of the
stressor, such as whether it has occurred before
and whether it was expected, and whether the
individual reacted to it as a threat or a
challenge

• Assess the individual’s perception of the cause

of the stressor and whether or not the problem
has been resolved.

• The CRI-Adult may be used with

• Healthy adults
• Psychiatric and substance abuse patients
• Medical patients.
CRI-Adult Scales and Descriptions:
• Approach Coping Response:
• Logical Analysis: Cognitive attempts to understand
and prepare mentally for a stressor and its
consequences.
• Positive Reappraisal: Cognitive attempts to construe
and restructure a problem in a positive way while still
accepting the reality of the situation.
• Seeking guidance and support: Behavioral attempts
to seek information, guidance or support.
• Problem solving: Behavioral attempts to take action
to deal directly with the problem.
• Avoidance coping response:
• Cognitive Avoidance: Cognitive attempts to avoid
thinking realistically about a problem.
• Acceptance or resignation: Cognitive attempts to
react to the problem by accepting it.
• Seeking Alternative rewards: Behavioral attempts
to get involved in substitute activities and create
new sources of satisfaction.
• Emotional Discharge: Behavioral attempts to
reduce tension by expressing negative feelings
 Rationale
• Contemporary theories emphasize the
multidimensional aspects of appraisal and coping
processes

• Researchers have used two main conceptual

approaches to classify coping responses

• The CRI-Adult combines these two approaches. It

assesses eight types of coping responses that
reflect these focus and method of coping domains.

• The inventory considers the orientation or focus of

coping and divides coping responses into
approach and avoidance responses
 Materials and its Use

• The CRI-Adult materials include

• The professional manual
• The reusable four-page item booklet
• The hand-scorable answer sheet

• Part A
• 10 stressor appraisal items
• Part B
• 48 coping items
 Administration

• The CRI-Adult may be administered

• Individually
• Groups

• The CRI-Adult may be administered

• Self- report format ----15 minutes to complete
• Structured interview-----15 to 30 minutes to
complete
Self-report Format:

• Provide each respondent with a CRI-Adult item

booklet, an answer sheet and a pencil

• Tell the respondent to read the instructions on

the first and second pages for completing the
CRI-Adult

• On request, provide simple clarifications of

word meanings, but be careful not to influence
the direction of the person’s response
• Give responses yourself
Structured-Interview Format

• Follow the usual procedures for structured

interviews
(Have to maintain a proper rapport with your
clients)

• Read each item to the respondent and record

his or her answers directly on the answer sheet
according to the instructions presented in the
item booklet.
 Scoring:

The CRI-Adult can be hand –scored in about 5

minutes by using the scoring template printed on
the carbonless bottom page of the answer sheet.