COPING STYLE AND SITUATIONAL APPRAISALS AS PREDICTORS OF COPING STRATEGIES FOLLOWING STRESSFUL EVENTS IN SPORT AS A FUNCTION OF GENDER AND SKILL LEVEL

The purpose of this study was to examine links between coping style, s ituational appraisals and the subsequent use of coping strategies in r esponse to acute stress among competitive Australian basketball player s (N = 190, 93 men and 97 women, ranging in age from 18 to 44 years). Regression analyses indicated that participants' approach and avoidanc e coping responses varied across four sport-related stressful situatio ns. In addition, both personal and situational factors accounted for s ignificant variation in players' approach coping responses, with situa tional factors better predictors of approach coping than personal disp ositions. For avoidance coping, situational appraisals (i.e. perceived stress and controllability) were again better predictors than persona l dispositions. The results lend credence to the interactional (contex tual) model of coping in which participants' use of coping strategies is at least a partial function of situational demands.