Coping as a moderator of disability and psychosocial adaptation among Vietnam theater veterans.

The purpose of this archival research was to investigate whether coping moderated the association between disability status and the outcome of psychosocial adaptation while controlling for demographic variables, posttraumatic stress disorder, and environmental conditions and social support. This research analyzed data from the U.S.'s National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS; R.A. Kulka et al., 1990a). In this study, the existence of a disability significantly and negatively predicted psychosocial adaptation after controlling for specific variables. Further, the multiple regression analysis showed that the association of disability and adaptation was moderated by problem-solving coping, indicating that the negative effect of disability on adaptation was smaller for participants with lower levels of problem-solving coping. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.