Allen M Todd
School of Psychological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, United States of America.
PeerJ. 2021 Apr 15;9:e11265. doi: 10.7717/peerj.11265. eCollection 2021.
Individuals differ in how they react to stress or trauma through different coping styles in which they may deal directly with a stressor by adopting approach coping styles or disengage with a stressor by utilizing avoidant coping styles. Avoidant coping styles have been linked to adverse outcomes including psychological distress, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recently, avoidance coping styles as measured by a subset of items on the Brief COPE were found to have a weak positive relationship with performance on a computer-based avatar task which is related to avoidant personality temperaments. This avatar task was developed as an alternative for paper and pencil self-report inventories for measuring avoidant tendencies based on possible response biases of avoidant individuals. In the current study, avoidance and approach coping styles as measured by the Brief Approach/Avoidance Coping Questionnaire (BACQ) were compared to avoidant coping as measured by the Brief COPE and performance on the avatar task. In addition to approach and avoidance coping, the BACQ also measures active avoidance coping (i.e., diversion) and passive avoidance coping (i.e., resignation and withdrawal). The relationships between approach and avoidance coping and performance on the avatar task were also analyzed with the outcome of perceived stress as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).
One hundred undergraduates voluntarily completed the BACQ, the Brief COPE, and the PSS. Participants also completed a computer-based task in which they guided an avatar through a series of social situations where they indicated how they would interact with or avoid interacting with strangers.
Approach coping had a weak negative relationship to avoidance coping as measured by the BACQ and the Brief COPE. Performance on the avatar task had a moderate positive relationship with avoidance coping (diversion as well as resignation and withdrawal) as measured by the BACQ and a moderate negative relationship with approach coping as measured by the BACQ. A model including only approach, diversion, and resignation and withdrawal coping best predicted performance on the avatar task in a linear regression model. While resignation and withdrawal coping and diversion coping had moderate positive relationships to avatar task scores, only resignation and withdrawal had a strong positive relationship to perceived stress. A model than included only resignation and withdrawal coping best predicted perceived stress in a linear regression model. Overall, passive avoidant coping styles (i.e., resignation and withdrawal), but not active avoidant coping style (i.e., diversion), were related to perceived stress. These results support the continued study of multiple aspects of avoidant coping styles as well as the avatar task to increase our understanding of the maladaptive effects of excessive avoidance in the face of stress.
个体在应对压力或创伤时的反应方式不同，他们可能通过不同的应对方式来应对，其中他们可以通过采用积极应对方式直接应对压力源，或者通过采用回避应对方式与压力源脱离接触。回避应对方式与包括心理困扰、焦虑症和创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）在内的不良后果有关。最近，通过《简易应对方式问卷》（Brief COPE）中的一部分项目测量的回避应对方式，被发现与一项基于计算机的虚拟化身任务的表现存在微弱的正相关，该任务与回避型人格气质有关。这项虚拟化身任务是作为纸笔自我报告量表的替代方法而开发的，用于测量基于回避型个体可能的反应偏差的回避倾向。在本研究中，将通过《简易趋近/回避应对问卷》（BACQ）测量的趋近和回避应对方式，与通过Brief COPE测量的回避应对方式以及虚拟化身任务的表现进行了比较。除了趋近和回避应对外，BACQ还测量主动回避应对（即转移注意力）和被动回避应对（即顺从和退缩）。还使用感知压力量表（PSS）测量的感知压力结果，分析了趋近和回避应对与虚拟化身任务表现之间的关系。
100名本科生自愿完成了BACQ、Brief COPE和PSS。参与者还完成了一项基于计算机的任务，在该任务中，他们引导一个虚拟化身通过一系列社交场景，并表明他们将如何与陌生人互动或避免与陌生人互动。
通过BACQ和Brief COPE测量，趋近应对与回避应对之间存在微弱的负相关。虚拟化身任务的表现与通过BACQ测量的回避应对（转移注意力以及顺从和退缩）存在中度正相关，与通过BACQ测量的趋近应对存在中度负相关。在一个线性回归模型中，仅包括趋近、转移注意力以及顺从和退缩应对的模型最能预测虚拟化身任务的表现。虽然顺从和退缩应对以及转移注意力应对与虚拟化身任务得分存在中度正相关，但只有顺从和退缩与感知压力存在强烈正相关。在一个线性回归模型中，仅包括顺从和退缩应对的模型最能预测感知压力。总体而言，被动回避应对方式（即顺从和退缩），而非主动回避应对方式（即转移注意力），与感知压力有关。这些结果支持继续研究回避应对方式的多个方面以及虚拟化身任务，以增进我们对面对压力时过度回避的适应不良影响的理解。
