Coherence and transituational generality in coping: the unity and the diversity
J T Ptacek1, Ronald E Smith, Brian D Raffety
1Department of Psychology, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17937, USA. ptacek@bucknell.eud
Anxiety, Stress, and Coping
|March 20, 2008
Summary
Aggregating coping data across multiple occasions enhances the consistency of coping preferences. This suggests greater coherence in how individuals use coping strategies over time.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Coping strategies are crucial for managing stress.
- Understanding the consistency of coping strategy use is important.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the transituational coherence of coping strategy use.
- To assess the effects of data aggregation on coping consistency.
Main Methods:
- Collected coping data on multiple occasions.
- Aggregated daily coping reports over varying periods (3- and 6-day).
- Assessed correlations between aggregated/unaggregated reports and dispositional measures.
Main Results:
- Aggregation significantly enhanced the consistency of coping preferences.
- Aggregated reports showed higher intercorrelations (0.46-0.95) than unaggregated ones (-0.12-0.53).
- Aggregated daily reports predicted subsequent coping better than dispositional measures.
Conclusions:
- Coping strategy use demonstrates a degree of transituational coherence.
- Data aggregation is a valuable method for revealing underlying coping consistencies.
- Aggregated coping data offers a more robust measure than standard dispositional surveys.
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