COPING AND COGNITION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA AND DEPRESSION

We examined the stable relations between coping style and cognitive fu nction in schizophrenic and depressed patients and in patient and norm al controls on two test occasions. The results show that a poor self-r eport of coping style is independent of psychiatric diagnosis, but the re are associations with both subjective and objective cognitive malai se. Poor cognitive task performance is associated with a dependent cop ing style, perhaps pointing to a ''giving-up'' attitude. Subjective co gnitive dysfunction and high levels of mental effort during task perfo rmance are associated with an avoidant coping style and with worrying, which suggest failing compensatory cognitive strategies as a causal m echanism of this coping dimension. Copyright (C) 1997 by W.B. Saunders Company.