Maladaptive Coping (maladaptive + coping)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Effects of Communicator Credibility and Fear on Adaptive and Maladaptive Coping Reactions to the HIV Threat

JOURNAL OF APPLIED BIOBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2005
Kanayo Umeh
Late diagnosis is currently the principal cause of continued mortality among HIV-infected people. Consequently, medical experts (i.e., GPs) are now required to play a more active role in promoting HIV prevention. Social psychological studies suggest that communicator credibility (CC) affects persuasion. However, there is a paucity of research focusing on HIV/AIDS. We tested propositions that a credible (i.e., "expert") communicator is more persuasive than a noncredible source, and that this effect is moderated by fear. Drive-reduction models (Hovland, Janis, & Kelley, 1953) provided the theoretic framework. One hundred undergraduates were exposed to a communication about HIV/AIDS. CC and fear arousal were manipulated with adaptive coping (intentions to use condoms) and maladaptive coping (rationalizations, denial) treated as outcome variables. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed neither a main effect of CC nor an interaction with fear. However, fear arousal seemed to negate persuasion by increasing maladaptive coping. The partial eta-squared (n,2) value indicated a weak-to-modest effect size. Overall, these findings echo drive-reduction models but raise new questions about relevance of source expertise in health persuasion. [source]


Depression following open-heart surgery: A path model involving interleukin-6, spiritual struggle, and hope under preoperative distress

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 10 2010
Amy L. Ai
Abstract Faith factors (i.e., factors pertaining to religion/spirituality) have been linked with well-being and adequate coping. Few studies have investigated negative aspects of religious coping, such as spiritual struggle. Based on the multidisciplinary literature and on previous findings, the study's analysis estimated parallel psychophysiological pathways from preoperative distress to postoperative depression in patients undergoing open heart surgery. Plasma samples for interleukin(IL)-6 were obtained before surgery. The results showed that a link between spiritual struggle and IL-6 mediated the indirect effects of preoperative anxiety on postoperative depression. Avoidant coping also mediated the influence of anxiety on postoperative maladjustment. Further, hope played a protective mediating role to moderate the undesirable influences of the spiritual struggle,IL-6 link and maladaptive coping on postoperative mental health attributes. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 66:1,19, 2010. [source]


Perfectionism, Coping, and Quality of Intimate Relationships

JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 1 2003
Michelle Haring
The present study examined the associations among perfectionism, marital coping, and marital functioning in a community sample of 76 couples. A theoretical model was tested in which maladaptive coping mediates the relationship between trait perfectionism and poorer marital functioning. As predicted, one of the interpersonal dimensions of perfectionism, socially prescribed perfectionism, was associated with maladaptive marital coping and poorer marital adjustment for both the self and the partner, even after controlling for depression and neuroticism. Finally, the use of negative coping strategies mediated the relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and poorer marital functioning for both the self and the partner. Overall, this study highlights the importance of spouse-specific forms of perfectionism in marital adjustment. [source]


Exercising for the wrong reasons: relationships among eating disorder beliefs, dysfunctional exercise beliefs and coping

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY (AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY & PRACTICE), Issue 6 2001
Dr Konstantinos Loumidis
Physical exercise is both a healthy and a maladaptive behaviour,yet, it is often unquestionably recommended as a coping strategy, due to its anxiolytic and antidepressant properties. This study examines maladaptive beliefs associated with eating disorders and to the clinical condition of exercise dependence (or addiction) in relation to coping. One hundred exercisers completed measures of eating disorder beliefs, dysfunctional exercise beliefs, types of coping and level of exercise. Eating disorder beliefs were related to dysfunctional exercise beliefs concerning physical appearance, social desirability and inability to function mentally or emotionally. Eating disorder beliefs were positively associated with emotional coping and negatively correlated with task-oriented coping. Exercise beliefs were associated with avoidance coping (distraction). On some components of eating disorder beliefs, between 2 and 15% of exercisers held scored within a clinical range. Unless clinicians exclude the presence of dysfunctional exercise beliefs, eating disorder beliefs and maladaptive coping, they might be paradoxically encouraging exercise for the wrong reasons. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]