ABSTRACT
Contemporary American culture has become very interested, indeed almost obsessed, with “stress” and how to “cope” with it. Self-help books, advice columns, popular magazines, and talk shows provide endless suggestions about how to assess how much stress we are currently facing, how to deal with interpersonal problems that may arise in a romantic relationship or at the workplace, and how
7.1 Learning Objectives.............................................................................................................. 125 7.2 Background and Signicance ............................................................................................... 125
7.2.1 Stress and Coping Dened ....................................................................................... 126 7.2.2 Dispositional and Situational Approaches to the Study of Coping .......................... 128 7.2.3 Assessment of Stress and Coping ............................................................................. 129
7.2.3.1 Assessment of Stress .................................................................................. 130 7.2.3.2 Assessment of Coping ................................................................................ 131
7.3 Current Findings ................................................................................................................... 133 7.3.1 Stress, Coping, and Psychological Distress .............................................................. 133 7.3.2 Gender Differences in Coping .................................................................................. 134
7.4 Applications .......................................................................................................................... 136 Appendix 7.A The Problem-Focused Styles of Coping .............................................................. 137 References ...................................................................................................................................... 139
to deal with the difculties associated with intrapersonal problems, such as depression or anxiety. There is much we still do not know, and many people have recognized the importance of looking closely at the relationship between coping and both mental and physical health (McWilliams et al. 2003; Penley et al. 2002).
