http://content.apa.org/journals/str International Journal of Stress Management is a forum for the publication of peer-reviewed and thus high-quality original articles—empirical, theoretical, review, and historical articles as well book reviews and editorials. International Journal of Stress Management is the official journal of the International Stress Management Association (ISMA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to working for a less stressful world. ISMA seeks to advance the education of professionals and students and to facilitate methodologically sound research in the broad interdisciplinary stress management field that includes psychology, business and industry, dentistry, education, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychiatry, and speech therapy. en-us Copyright 2008 American Psychological Association Gary R. VandenBos, PhD 10725245 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 01:13:06 EST http://journals.apa.org/toc/journal/journal-str.jpg 77 http://content.apa.org/journals/str Business/Publishing and Printing/Publishing/Academic and Technical/Science Health/Mental Health Science/Social Sciences/Psychology/Journals and Publications http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://content.apa.org/journals/str/15/3/209 http://content.apa.org/journals/str/15/3/209 Globalization, demographic aging, and individualization and pluralization of life courses have led to individuals' increasing uncertainty regarding their future. The effects of social change on the lives of individuals, however, may depend on coping processes. The authors analyzed whether perceived uncertainty due to social change, problem-focused coping, and distancing from demands would be related to depressive symptoms in 1,975 German adolescents and adults. A higher number of perceived demands in the areas of work and family life (e.g., perceived increase of difficulties with finding adequate jobs and of instability of one's intimate relationship) were associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. In addition, higher levels of problem-focused coping were related to fewer depressive symptoms, whereas higher levels of distancing from demands were related to more depressive symptoms. Problem-focused coping buffered the effect of family-related demands but not of work-related demands on depressive symptoms. Finally, distancing from demands buffered the effects of family-related demands but amplified the effects of work-related demands on depression. In sum, the present study supports the main effects model and the interaction effects model of coping. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved) International Journal of Stress Management - Vol 15, Iss 3 2008 Pinquart, Martin; Silbereisen, Rainer K. American Psychological Association 10.1037/1072-5245.15.3.209 http://content.apa.org/journals/str/15/3/222 http://content.apa.org/journals/str/15/3/222 The question of whether emotion control and coping are separate independent concepts or overlapping constructs was explored with a sample of 422 university students using the Emotional Control Questionnaire and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations. In addition, the relationship between emotion control, coping, and psychological symptoms was explored using the Brief Symptom Inventory. Evidence was found for both independence and overlap between emotion control and coping. Emotion focused coping was a strong predictor of psychopathology. Rehearsal and benign control were associated with the set of psychological symptoms. Aggression control was related to hostility and interpersonal sensitivity. Coping-emotion control combinations and gender differences were also examined in terms of the psychological symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved) International Journal of Stress Management - Vol 15, Iss 3 2008 Watson, David C.; Sinha, Birenda American Psychological Association 10.1037/1072-5245.15.3.222 http://content.apa.org/journals/str/15/3/235 http://content.apa.org/journals/str/15/3/235 Functional social support can be described as emotional (i.e., caring, esteem, etc.) or instrumental (i.e., informational, tangible) support. Hypothesizing that instrumental support often is interpreted as helpful because of its emotional meaning (signalling caring, understanding, esteem), we asked hospital patients (N = 67) to describe situations (N = 109) during which they were supported, and to indicate why this support was helpful. Both the description of the supportive behaviors and the meaning attributed to them were coded with regard to their instrumental versus emotional quality. As expected, many situations that were instrumental in descriptive terms were emotional in terms of meaning; the reverse occurred very seldom. This effect was confined to "private" interactions (i.e. interactions involving family and friends), whereas instrumental behaviors of medical professionals were largely instrumental in meaning as well. Results underscore the importance of giving instrumental support in a way that communicates care and esteem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved) International Journal of Stress Management - Vol 15, Iss 3 2008 Semmer, Norbert K.; Elfering, Achim; Jacobshagen, Nicola; Perrot, Tanja; Beehr, Terry A.; Boos, Norbert American Psychological Association 10.1037/1072-5245.15.3.235 http://content.apa.org/journals/str/15/3/252 http://content.apa.org/journals/str/15/3/252 The present study investigated the adaptation process of immigrants from the former Soviet Union in Israel as a multiple-stressor situation that involves cognitive appraisals and coping efforts. A sample of 301 new immigrants (residing in Israel three years or less), 67% women, 25 to 45 years old, completed inventories measuring cognitive appraisals of three major immigration stressors--employment, language, and housing difficulties--and the strategies used to cope with these demands. Level of distress (as indicated by depression and anxiety) was also assessed. The results show positive associations between cognitive appraisals of the various stressors, as well as between the coping strategies applied to them, indicating mutual influences between stressors in a multiple-stressor situation. In addition, an interaction between the appraisals of threat/loss of the three stressors predicted the respondents' distress level, supporting the potentiation model of coping with multiple stressors. Last, the findings support the notion of a stable coping style by showing especially high correlations between coping efforts with different stressors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved) International Journal of Stress Management - Vol 15, Iss 3 2008 Yakhnich, Liat American Psychological Association 10.1037/a0013002 http://content.apa.org/journals/str/15/3/269 http://content.apa.org/journals/str/15/3/269 The main goal of this study was to examine an integrative model in which academic motivation was hypothesized to mediate the relationships between dispositional optimism and pessimism and coping utilization during the preparation for midterm exams. A sample of 299 undergraduate students completed measures of optimism and academic motivation two weeks prior to midterm exams and measures of academic motivation and coping two weeks after midterm exams. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that self-determined motivation mediated the relationship between dispositional optimism and task-oriented coping, whereas non-self-determined motivation mediated the relationship between dispositional pessimism and disengagement-oriented coping. Furthermore, task-oriented coping was associated with an increase in self-determined motivation from Time 1 to Time 2, whereas disengagement-oriented coping related to an increase in non-self-determined motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved) International Journal of Stress Management - Vol 15, Iss 3 2008 Thompson, Amanda; Gaudreau, Patrick American Psychological Association 10.1037/a0012941 http://content.apa.org/journals/str/15/3/289 http://content.apa.org/journals/str/15/3/289 The study tested sense of coherence (SOC; Antonovsky, 1987), coping strategies, and test anxiety as predictors of test performance in 216 1st-year undergraduates. The students attended 3 obligatory courses and completed inventories assessing SOC, coping, and test anxiety during the final session of the 2nd semester; their grades on the final examination were recorded. The results showed SOC to be negatively related to test anxiety, whereas emotion-focused coping and avoidance were positively related to it. Problem-focused coping contributed positively to performance on the test, and avoidance coping adversely affected test grades. The data suggest that test anxiety is minimally associated with performance grades, and the 2 measures are related somewhat differentially to coping strategies and SOC. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved) International Journal of Stress Management - Vol 15, Iss 3 2008 Cohen, Miri; Ben-Zur, Hasida; Rosenfeld, Michal J. American Psychological Association 10.1037/1072-5245.15.3.289