Coping with interpersonal conflicts through life events and hospitalization.

Previous studies have helped to explicate the coping process prior to hospitalization by investigating the frequency and pattern of life events during this period. The present study extends the empirical applicability of the model to the period following hospitalization. Predictive validity for the model is provided by an investigation of posthospital community adjustment and rehospitalization. It was found that the resolutions of interpersonal conflicts during the period of hospitalization enhanced the ability to predict these outcome measures substantially when the conflict resolutions were added as predictors to patients' demographic and background characteristics, their hospital behavior, and their therapists' evaluations. Two case histories are presented to illustrate the applicability of the model for furthering the understanding of individual patient's lives.