Can the experience of hope increase the propensity to cope actively in a stressful situation?

Abstract

Background: Personality traits, as being relatively stable, fail to answer why coping behaviour of the same person changes across different stressful situations. Thus, appraisal that is incorporated in emotion of hope might be particularly useful in understanding both active and avoidant coping efforts. Current research was drawn upon the transactional model of stress and coping and the definition of hope proposed by Lazarus. The main aim of the study was to examine: How much variability of the preferred coping strategies can be explained by selected personality traits and cognitive components of hope? Which personality traits and hope appraisals have the most and the least impact on coping behaviors? Methods: 316 participants (195 women, 121 men; age M = 23,5) filled in the following measures: Costa and McCrea’s personality NEO-FFI Questionnaire; Spielberger’s anxiety STAI Scale (Part II: trait); Carver and Bridges optimism LOT-R Scale; Snyder’s hope KNS Scale; Erikson’s hope BHI-12 Scale; Rotter’s locus of control IE Questionnaire; Lazarus's appraisal pattern OPPW Scale (Małkiewicz, 2014) and core relational theme for hope PTR-N Scale (Małkiewicz, 2014); Carver, Scheier and Weintraub’s coping strategies COPE Inventory. Canonical correlation analysis was conducted to meet the goals of this study. Findings: Selected personality traits would predict 23% of preferred coping strategies in stressful situations, while combined with hope would predict 29% of chosen coping strategies. High level of hope was positively associated with active coping, planning, positive reinterpretation and growth, and negatively with denial, behavioral and mental disengagement. The results indicated that hope determines active coping.