Determinants of coping: some alternative explanations and measurement issues

The determinants of coping may be better understood if we considered the different constructs--stressors, strain, and coping within a transactional framework: a framework wherein stress is viewed as resulting from the transaction between the individual and the environment. Adopting such an approach may also require researchers to consider how stressful encounters are appraised--the meanings given to events, how coping strategies are classified, and how they are used in the coping process, whether linear additive coping scores really tell us anything about how individuals actually cope and whether it is now time to consider alternative methodologies if we are to better understand the complexities of the stress process.