Coping with Stress

What are Avoidance Coping Strategies?

• Focus on dealing with the stressor in a productive way

• Eg making a timetable when faced with lots of homework and assessments

• Try to shift focus away from the stressor and do not try to confront or resolve stressor

• Eg Ignoring homework by leaving the house so you can't complete it and expecting a bad mark regardless of effort

What is Coping Flexibility?

• When the coping strategy used matches the stressor.

• Eg, Being stressed about a SAC so completing study

• The ability to change and utilise a new coping strategy when one is deemed to be ineffective in a given situation

• Eg Going from procrastinating to studying for a test

A person is considered to have ‘high coping flexibility’ if they persist in the use of the coping strategies they deploy, even in the face of ineffectiveness.

• True

• False

In order for a coping strategy to have ‘context-specific effectiveness’, it is important to consistently use the same type of coping strategies across different stressful situations.

• True

• False

Anna has been studying to become a nurse for 2 years. To cope with stress, she used to bake. She found this technique did not releieve her stess. She now meditates which is very successful for her. What is this change in technique an example of?

• Avoidance coping

• Coping flexibility

• Approach coping

• Emotion focused coping

which of the following are not approach strategies

• making plans to deal with the stressor

• seeking support from others

• watching a great movie with a friend

• seeking information about the stressor