M T Allen1, C E Myers2,3. 1. a School of Psychological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado , Greeley , CO , USA. 2. b Department of Veterans Affairs, VA New Jersey Health Care System , East Orange , NJ , USA. 3. c Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University , Newark , NJ , USA.
Abstract
Background/Objective: Coping styles play a role in how individuals respond to stress and therapy. One aspect of coping which has been linked to adverse outcomes including anxiety disorders and PTSD is avoidance. However, a tendency to avoid may affect the accuracy of paper and pencil inventories used to identify avoidant temperaments. Previously, we showed that a computer-based task in which an on-screen "avatar" is guided through a series of onscreen events could predict avoidance including behavioral inhibition, harm avoidance, and self-reported PTSD symptoms. Since some coping styles involve avoidance, we extended this work to determine whether scores on the avatar task would also differentiate avoidant and non-avoidant coping styles as measured by the Brief COPE. Methods: One hundred and fifty undergraduates voluntarily completed the avatar task and the Brief COPE. Results: Scores on the avatar task had a significant positive relationship with an aggregate score for the five avoidant coping styles and a significant negative relationship with an aggregate score for the nine non-avoidant coping styles. Conclusions: The effectiveness of the avatar task to differentiate coping styles based on avoidance further validates this task and also shows selectivity to avoidant coping styles as opposed to other non-avoidant coping styles.
Background/Objective: Coping styles play a role in how individuals respond to stress and therapy. One aspect of coping which has been linked to adverse outcomes including anxiety disorders and PTSD is avoidance. However, a tendency to avoid may affect the accuracy of paper and pencil inventories used to identify avoidant temperaments. Previously, we showed that a computer-based task in which an on-screen "avatar" is guided through a series of onscreen events could predict avoidance including behavioral inhibition, harm avoidance, and self-reported PTSD symptoms. Since some coping styles involve avoidance, we extended this work to determine whether scores on the avatar task would also differentiate avoidant and non-avoidant coping styles as measured by the Brief COPE. Methods: One hundred and fifty undergraduates voluntarily completed the avatar task and the Brief COPE. Results: Scores on the avatar task had a significant positive relationship with an aggregate score for the five avoidant coping styles and a significant negative relationship with an aggregate score for the nine non-avoidant coping styles. Conclusions: The effectiveness of the avatar task to differentiate coping styles based on avoidance further validates this task and also shows selectivity to avoidant coping styles as opposed to other non-avoidant coping styles.
Authors: Carl E Schwartz; Christopher I Wright; Lisa M Shin; Jerome Kagan; Paul J Whalen; Katherine G McMullin; Scott L Rauch Journal: Biol Psychiatry Date: 2003-05-15 Impact factor: 13.382
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