Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm
Published on: May 4, 2020
The role of cognitive coping in female victims of stalking
Vivian Kraaij1, Ella Arensman, Nadia Garnefski
1Medical Psychology Department, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, the Netherlands.
Abstract:
The aim of the study is to examine the role of cognitive coping in a sample of 47 female victims of stalking. Stalking victims who blamed themselves more for the stalking report significantly higher symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Respondents who ruminated more about the stalking experience, or respondents who explicitly emphasized the terror of the stalking to a higher extent, also report significantly higher symptom levels. Finally, respondents who thought more about what steps to take and how to handle the stalking report significantly higher symptom levels of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. This conclusion holds also after controlling for the severity of stalking. If the findings of the present study can be confirmed, this could possibly contribute to the help provided to victims of stalking.
Related Concept Videos
Coping Strategies: Problem Focused
For example, consider a student who struggles to understand their...
Coping Strategies: Emotion Focused
Bullying
The Influence of Cognition on Affect
Lazarus's Cognitive Appraisal Theory
Primary Appraisal:...
Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
