THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INFORMATION-SEEKING AND INFORMATION-AVOIDINGCOPING STYLES AND THE REPORTING OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS

The present paper describes a prospective study of the relationship be tween information-seeking and information-avoiding coping styles ('mon itoring' and 'blunting') and the reporting of both psychological and p hysical symptoms. The results suggested that blunting was directly ass ociated with the reporting of both psychological symptoms and symptoms associated with opportunistic infections (such as colds, 'flu etc.). Furthermore, this association between blunting and symptom report was independent of initial symptom levels and of some other factors which have been shown to influence health status (i.e. the frequency of nega tive life experiences, the frequency of daily hassles and levels of tr ait anxiety). No significant relationships were found between monitori ng and symptom report. It is argued that the most likely explanation o f these results is that high blunters report more illness symptoms as a result of failing to respond to initial illness cues or seeking reme dial treatment only at a later stage in the development of a disorder.