Coping is not an ‘either’ ‘or’: the interaction of coping strategies in regulating affect,arousal and performance

The purpose of the present studies was to (a) examine the association between coping, affect, and stress during demanding, stressful tasks, and (b) examine the presence of a synergy between coping strategies towards regulating stress, affect and performance. In Study 1 participants were 53 first year undergraduate students at a state university. Student's coping strategies were assessed prior to a job interview. Results indicated that emotion‐focused coping was associated with significantly elevated negative affect compared to problem‐focused coping. Inclusion of an interaction term reflecting different levels of the two coping strategies showed enhanced adaptation compared to the use of either problem‐focused or emotion‐focused coping strategies. Study 2 aimed at replicating the findings of Study 1, and extend them with assessment of behavioral and physiological indices of stress. Participants were 48 undergraduate students and their coping, affect, and behavioral and physiological stress were assessed prior to an in‐class presentation. Results indicated that neither problem nor emotion‐focused coping were associated with stress levels. However, the interaction of problem‐focused and emotion‐focused strategies was associated with significantly lessened stress. It is concluded that the presence of more than one coping strategy at a given time may be more adaptive compared to the adoption of one type of strategy. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.