SITUATIONAL COPING AND COPING DISPOSITIONS IN A STRESSFUL TRANSACTION

After reporting dispositional coping styles, students reported situati onal coping and 4 classes of affect (from threat, challenge, harm, and benefit appraisals) 2 days before an exam, after the exam but before grades were posted, and after posting of grades. Coping did not predic t lower levels of future distress; indeed, some coping seemed to induc e feelings of threat. Feelings of harm before the exam induced several kinds of coping after the exam, mostly dysfunctional. Confidence abou t one's grade was a better predictor of emotions throughout than was c oping. Dispositional coping predicted comparable situational coping at low-moderate levels in most cases. Coping dispositions did not reliab ly predict emotions, however, with these exceptions: Dispositional den ial was related to threat, as was dispositional use of social support; dispositional use of alcohol was related to both threat and harm.