COPING, LIFE STRESS, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOMATIC DISTRESS

Theory and research have focused on the relationships among coping pro cesses, stressful life events, and psychological and physical distress . This study was designed to examine the relationship of stressful lif e events and three styles of coping-emotion oriented, task oriented, a nd avoidance oriented-to physical and psychological distress. Question naires measuring coping styles, recent life stressors, and both physic al symptoms and psychological symptoms were completed by 205 undergrad uates (101 males and 104 females). It was hypothesized that task-orien ted coping would negatively predict distress and that emotion-oriented coping would positively predict distress. The relationships of two ty pes of avoidance-oriented coping (distraction and social diversion) to distress were also examined. Multiple regression analyses revealed th at task-oriented coping was negatively related to distress, but only f or males. Emotion-oriented coping was significantly positively predict ive of distress for both males and females. The two subcomponents of a voidance-oriented coping-distraction and social diversion-were differe ntially related to measures of distress. Life event stress positively predicted distress, both as an independent contributor of variance and in interaction with several coping styles.