The relationship between flexibility of coping to stress and depression

The present study was conducted to examine the relationship between flexibility of coping to interpersonal stress and mental health as represented by scores on a self-report depression scale (CES-D) in 87 college students. Subjects were first required to complete the Interpersonal Stress-Coping Inventory (ISI) to identify each subject's coping type (ISIpre). They were then asked to complete ISI again (ISIpost) assuming that the coping strategy they adopted in ISIpre did not work well. The results of ISIpre and ISIpost were then compared and the flexibility of coping to stress of each individual was analyzed in terms of his/her tendencies: (a) to abandon the type they adopted in ISIpre (Level A flexibility); and (b) to adopt a new coping type (Level B flexibility). Flexible copers in both Levels A and B were shown to be significantly less depressive as represented by scores in CES-D, those fulfilling both flexibility criteria being the least depressive. The results were discussed with reference to mental health and to functional fixedness/recentering in problem solving.