ASSOCIATION BETWEEN DAILY COPING AND END-OF-DAY MOOD

Research indicates that self-reports of coping with stressful occurren ces are associated with psychological and health outcomes. However, me asures of coping may be biased by retrospective distortion as they ass ess coping over relatively long periods. In this study, a sample of 79 men completed a coping assessment daily for several weeks about the d ay's most ''bothersome'' problem. Repeated daily measurement of coping allowed analysis of within-subject effects of coping efforts. Same-da y mood reported by the men (targets) and reports of the men's mood by their spouses (observers) were outcome variables. Within-subject analy ses indicated that catharsis and social supports were associated with increased negative affect, whereas use of acceptance was associated wi th less negative affect. Use of distraction, acceptance, and relaxatio n were associated with increased positive affect. These findings held for both target- and observer-reported mood.