COPING

Introducing

Coping means cognitive and behavioural responses to a stressful situation to reduce the consequences of stress. There are several different ways in which coping is applied. The different styles of coping can be aimed at solving the problem and thus elimination the stressor, or at decreasing the negative consequences. No one enjoys feeling angry or tense for a long period. When the problem is not directly solvable, one will try not to feel stressed or angry in another manner. People will try to reduce the negative feeling, one way or another. Coping can be defined as an effort to manage and overcome demands and critical events that pose a challenge, threat, harm, loss, or benefit to a person.

Variety of coping behaviour/strategies has been suggested by various stress researches. In coping with stress, people tend to use one of the three main coping strategies: Appraisal-focused, problem-focused coping. Appraisal-focused strategies occur when the person modifies the way they think, for example: employing denial or distancing oneself from the problem. People may alter the way they think about a problem by altering their goals and values. People using problem-focused strategies try to deal with the case of their problem. They do this by finding out information on the problem and learning new skills to manage the problem. Emotion-focused strategies involve releasing pent-up emotion, distraction oneself, managing hostile feeling, meditating, using systematic relaxation procedures, etc. All these methods can prove useful, but some claim that those using problem-focused coping strategies will adjust better to life.

Objective

To find out coping mechanism/strategy of subject 3. Used materials

Coping strategies scale, paper and pencil

Information about the subjects

Subject A	Subject B
Name: Kushab Dhungana Age: 34 Sex: Male Address: Balaju Kathmandu Education: M.A. Marital Status : Married Occupation: Job holder Socio-economic status: Middle class Place: Office Mental and physical health: Normal Time: 2:00 PM Date: 15 June 2013	Name: Arun Lamsal Age: 36 Sex: Male Address: Samakhusi Education: M.A. Marital Status : Married Occupation: Job holder Socio-economic status: Middle class Place: Office Mental and physical health: Normal Time: 11:00 AM Date: 16 June 2013

Test Description

In the last two decades, there has been an explosion of research in the area of stress, coping and consequent strains. It has been well established that stress results in a variety of psychological and somatic pathologies. It has also been recognized how a focal person copes with the stress situation is more important than the experience of the stress itself in determining the severity of the consequent strains. The coping process in its broadest sense refers to any attempt to deal with the stressful situation when a person feels he must do something about it. This coping strategies scale and the accompanying manual is structured by Pro. A.K. Srivastava, Department of Psychology, Banaras Hindu University. The present measure of coping strategies comprises 50 items.

The coping behaviour underlines five major categories of coping strategies based on the combination of operation and orientation of the coping behaviour. Five categories have been divided into two major groups. Categories and constituent of coping behaviour for each category have been stated as follows:

A. (Approach coping problem-focused coping)

B. Avoidance Coping (Emotion focused-coping)

1. Behavioural approach coping strategies i. Confronting ii. Planning iii. Taking impulsive decision iv. Suppressing Competing Activities v. seeking Social Support vi. Self control vii. Negotiation 2. Cognitive approach Coping strategies i. Intellectualization ii. Positive re-interpretation iii. Cognitive reappraisal iv. Seeking social support for emotional reasons 3. Cognitive Behavioral approach Coping strategies

1. Behavioral avoidance coping strategies i. Restrains coping ii. Inhibition of action iii. Turning towards religion iv. Escaping v. Behavioral disengagement vi. Acceptance vii. Withdrawal viii. Feeling helpless 2. Cognitive avoidance Coping Strategies i. Rationalization ii. Distancing iii. cognitive restructuring iv. Resignation

Scoring

Coping Strategies and item number in given Manual

Coping strategies	No. of items	Serial no. of item
Behavioural Approach	15	2,4,6,12,20,21,26,29,33,35,41,45,47,48
Cognitive Approach	6	3,7,8,25,42,43
cognitive-behavioural Approach	8	11,13,17,23,30,31,37,49
Behavioural Avoidance	14	1,10,15,16,18,19,22,27,28,34,36,39,44,50
Coping Avoidance	7	9,14,24,32,38,40,46

Scoring method:

Scoring should be done according to the response categories and the corresponding scores for each item of each category, 50 statement presence on coping lest has to be rated on five-point scale as

(0)-Never

(1)-Rarely

(2)-Sometimes

(3)-Most of the time

(4)-Almost always

To assess the coping effort or the efficiency of the subject the score must be treated separately into five categories to obtain scores for five coping strategies. Scores of the item of Approach Coping Strategies (i.e. Behavioral-Approach, Cognitive-Approach, Cognitive-Behavioral Approach) and Avoidance Coping Strategies (i.e. Behavioral-Avoidance, Cognitive Avoidance? Maybe clubbed together to ascertain the extent of the subject's tendency for Approach and Avoidance coping behaviour.

Norms: The scores obtained on five sub-scales may be categorized as per following norms to know the extent for coping.

Norms Regarding Sub-scales and Coping Level

Sub-scales	Level of coping
Approach-Behavioral	0-29	30-45	46-60
Approach Cognitive	0-11	12-18	19-24
Approach Cognitive-Behavioral	0-15	16-24	25-32
Avoidance-Behavioral	0-27	28-2	43-56
Avoidance-Cognitive	0-13	14-21	22-28

Note: High score on Avoidance Coping Strategies would indicate deficient or dysfunctional coping, and low the score would indicate efficient or functional coping. Avoidance coping strategies might bring immediate and short-term relief. But in ling term they are like to add to the stress of the person, and result in psychological strain and pathology in some case.

Procedure

Test administration

The subjects were asked to sit comfortably, the checklist of coping strategies scale was given to all of them.

Instruction

First I knew the preparation of subjects and I took permission once again for starting. I informed them about 50 statements that will resemble the situation we might face in or daily life and are usually adopted by people to deal with the situations of stress in different spheres of their life. I asked them to see 5 different optional responses on the right side of the statement. I also asked them to show their response by ticking for the closest option given. Try to cover all 50 statements as soon as possible. Please don't heists to consult to me in case of confusion come in doing time?

Introspective report of a subject

Subject A: He was so curious to fill do that test. He believed that it will help him to find out his destructive coping and he will replace with constructive coping.

Subject B: There seems hesitation doing that test.

Impression

Subject A: He was cool and done all ration on time

Subject B: He found difficulties on the rating scale. He seems confusion in doing that:

Result

The result below shows the style in which subjects cope with stress

Subject A	Score scale	Subject B	Score
Behavioural Approach	Moderate-34	Behavioural Approach	Moderate-33
Cognitive Approach	Moderate-16	Cognitive Approach	Moderate-18
Behavioural Cognitive Approach	Low-26	Behavioural Cognitive Approach	Low-24
Total Score	76	Total	75
Behavioural Approach	Low-26	Behavioural Avoidance	Low 24
Cognitive Avoidance	Low-13	Cognitive Avoidance	Low 12
Total Score	39	Total Score	36

Result and discussion

Subject A got a moderate score in Behavioural and Cognitive Approach at the same time a low score in Behavioural-Cognitive Approach. This would mean that he like to intellectualize, reason out and logic out a stressful situation at the same time he might get impulsive and unreasonable. Since Behavioral and cognitive and Cognitive Avoidance score is low, so he does not like to escape from a problem or withdraw himself.

Subject B got a moderate score in behavioural, Cognitive and Behavioral-Cognitive Approach. This means he likes to seek social support when falls under the programmatic situation. He likes to think and reason out logically about the situation. Since Behavioral and Cognitive Approach score is low, so he also does not like to escape or withdraw himself for the problem.

You may tend to get too active in dealing with the problem head-on and not be kind on yourself. You can learn to be more relaxed and have more faith in the general process of life.

All need to build the support system to cope with stress and support system could be family, friends and worship of God, art, diary writing and engage in social activities.

References

Coleman, James C. (1996). Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life. D. B. Taraporevala Sons and Co. Private Limited.

Morgan, C.T., Richard, A.K., John, R.w. and Jhon S. (2009) Introduction to Psychology. Tata Mcgraw Hill Education Private Limited.

Prof. Srivastava, A.K. (2001), Manual coping Strategies Scale, Rupa Psychological Centre, 19/60 B, Deoriabir, Bhelpur, Vanaras India.