Excellent coping : Which coping strategies contribute to greater hope and happiness?
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| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
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| Description | The aim of the chapter is to present the results of research examining the relations between coping strategies, hope, and happiness. We were interested in what coping strategies are preferred by more hopeful people and in what way they differ from the coping strategies used by happy people. Also, we wanted to find out how hope and happiness are related to physical health and how and to what extent they are affected by basic demographic variables. The research sample consisted of 196 young adults aged between 19 and 33 years (70.4 % female, 26.6 % male, mean age 21.27 years). The data were collected using a questionnaire and analysed with an IBM SPSS 19 software. The analysis revealed that the strongest predictors of hope were the coping strategies of problem solving and self-criticism. In line with the cognitive theory of hope, another significant strategy was that of cognitive restructuring. The strongest negative correlates of happiness were the strategies of social withdrawal and self-criticism. With respect to happiness, the other significant strategies were cognitive restructuring and seeking social support. An analysis of the effect of demographic factors showed that the people living with a partner exhibited significantly higher levels of happiness and hope than those who were single. The results of our study can be applied in varying domains of psychological practice, whose aim is to increase the efficiency of coping strategies, thus enhancing the clients’ hope and subjective well-being. |