« Back to Volume 21 (2012), Issue 2
Pojdi na slovensko stran članka / Go to the article page in Slovene
Relationship termination in emerging adulthood: Coping strategies as predictors of posttraumatic growth
Simona Zgaga & Andreja Avsec
Full text (pdf) | Views: 373 | Written in Slovene. | Published: February 3, 2013
https://doi.org/10.20419/2012.21.361 | Cited By: CrossRef (0)
Abstract: Relationship termination happens relatively often in emerging adulthood but is nevertheless as distressing then as it is later in life. We examined the relationship between coping strategies and posttraumatic growth in a sample of 260 emerging adults whose heterosexual romantic relationships were terminated at most two years before participating in the study. Participants completed The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, The COPE Inventory and Emotion Approach Coping scale. For the purposes of the study we also conceptualized a new coping inventory, related specifically to coping with relationship termination. While controlling for gender and age the coping strategies explained 34 % of variability in posttraumatic growth. Statistically significant predictors of posttraumatic growth were problem-oriented coping strategies, coping strategies, oriented towards emotions and other people, acceptance and positive self-motivation as well as coping strategies that allow some distancing from the stressor. Results indicate that posttraumatic growth is related to problem-oriented and also to emotion-oriented coping strategies, which is reasonable since relationship termination is a stressor that cannot be eliminated. It is important that an individual who is facing it can cope well with the unpleasant emotions deriving from relationship termination.
Keywords: relationship termination, posttraumatic growth, coping behaviour
Cite:
Zgaga, S., & Avsec, A. (2012). Razpad partnerske zveze na prehodu v odraslost: Spoprijemanje s stresom kot napovednik posttravmatske rasti [Relationship termination in emerging adulthood: Coping strategies as predictors of posttraumatic growth]. Psihološka obzorja, 21(2), 29–40. https://doi.org/10.20419/2012.21.361
Reference list
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469–480. CrossRef
Austenfeld, J. L., & Stanton, A. L. (2004). Coping through emotional approach: A new look at emotion, coping, and health-related outcomes. Journal of Personality, 72, 1335–1364. CrossRef
Avsec, A., Bajec, B., & Novak, M. (2012). Differential relationship of coping styles with well-being and ill-being of professional firemen. Psihologija, 45(1), 59–70. CrossRef
Battaglia, D. M., Richard, F. D., Datteri, D. L., & Lord, C. G. (1998). Breaking up is (relatively) easy to do: A script for the dissolution of close relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15, 829–845. CrossRef
Benton, S., Robertson, J. M., Tseng, W. C., Newton, F. B., & Benton, S. L. (2003). Changes in client problems: Contributions and limitations from a 13-year study. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 34, 66–72. CrossRef
Berman, M. I., Tashiro, T., & Frazier, P. A. (2008). Personal growth after relationship breakups. V S. J. Lopez (ur.), Positive Psychology: Exploring the Best in People (str. 29–48). Westport: Praeger.
Boelen, P. A., & van den Hout, M. A. (2010). Inclusion of other in the self and breakup-related grief following relationship dissolution. Journal of Loss and Trauma: International Perspectives on Stress & Coping, 15(6), 534–547. CrossRef
Calhoun, L. G., Cann, A., Tedeschi, R. G., & McMillan, J. (2000). A correlational test of the relationship between posttraumatic growth, religion and cognitive processing. Journal of Posttraumatic Stress, 13(3), 521–527. CrossRef
Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., & Weintraub, J. K. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: A theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56(2), 267–283. CrossRef
Choo, P., Levine, T., & Hatfield, E. (1996). Gender, love schemas, and reactions to romantic break-ups. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 11, 143–160.
Dolbier, C. L., Smith Jaggars, S., & Steinhardt, M. A. (2010). Stress-related growth: Pre-intervention correlates and change following a resilience intervention. Stress and Health, 26, 135–147. CrossRef
Drigotas, S. M., & Rusbult, S. E. (1992). Should I stay or should I go? A dependence model of breakups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62, 62–87. CrossRef
Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2004). Coping: Pitfalls and promise. Annual Review of Psychology, 55, 745–774. CrossRef
Graff-Reed, R. L. (2004). Positive effects of stressful life events: Psychological growth following divorce. Neobjavljeno doktorsko delo, Miami University, Oxford, OH, ZDA.
Hebert, S. (2006). »Where do I go from here?« A grounded theory of distress, change, and personal growth following the dissolution of non-marital romantic relationship. Magistrsko delo na Simon Fraser University, pridobljeno 21. 5. 2011 s spletne strani http://ir.lib.sfu.ca/retrieve/4198/etd2615.pdf
Joseph, S., & Linley, A. P. (2008). Trauma, recovery and growth. Positive psychological perspectives on posttraumatic stress. Hoboken: Wiley. CrossRef
Lazarus, R. S.,, & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York, NY: Springer.
Lewandowski, G. W., & Bizzoco, N. M. (2007). Addition through subtraction: Growth following the dissolution of a low quality relationship. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2, 40–54. CrossRef
Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (2009). Posttraumatic growth. V S. J. Lopez (ur.), The encyclopedia of positive psychology (str. 769–773), Chichester; Malden: Wiley-Blackwell.
Litman, J. A. (2006). The COPE inventory: Dimensionality and relationships with approach- and avoidance-motives and positive and negative traits. Personality and Individual Differences, 41, 273–284. CrossRef
Monroe, S. M., Rohde, P., Seeley, J. R., & Lewinsohn, P. M. (1999). Life events and depression in adolescence: Relationship loss as a risk factor for first onset of major depressive disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 108, 606–614. CrossRef
Morris, B. A., Shakespeare-Finch, J., & Scott, J. L. (2007). Coping processes and dimensions of posttraumatic growth. The Australasian Journal of Disaster and Trauma Studies, 1, objavljen na http://www.massey.ac.nz/~trauma/issues/2007-1/morris.htm
Perilloux, C., & Buss, D. M. (2008). Breaking up romantic relationships: Cost experienced and coping strategies deployed. Evolutionary Psychology, 6, 164–181. CrossRef
Plutchik, R. (2002). Emotions and life: Perspectives from psychology, biology, and evolution. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Reevy, G. (2007). Sex-related differences in the social support-stress relationship. V A. Monat, R. S. Lazarus in G. Reevy (ur.), The Praeger handbook on stress and coping (volume 2) (str. 349–359). Westport: Praeger.
Rhoades, G. K., Kamp Dush, C. M., Atkins, D. C., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2011). Breaking up is hard to do: The impact of unmarried relationship dissolution on mental health and life satisfaction. Journal of Family Psychology, 25, 366–374. CrossRef
Roth, S., & Cohen, L. J. (1986). Approach, avoidance, and coping with stress. American Psychologist, 41, 813–819. CrossRef
Sbarra, D. A., & Emery, R. E. (2005). The emotional sequel of nonmarital relationship dissolution: Analysis of change and intraindividual variability over time. Personal Relationships, 12, 213–232. CrossRef
Schexnaildre, M. A. (2011). Predicting posttraumatic growth: Coping, social support, and posttraumatic stress in children and adolescents after hurricane Katrina. Doktorsko delo, objavljeno na http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04022011-221554/unrestricted/SchexnaildreThesis.pdf
Simon, R. W., & Barrett, A. E. (2010). Nonmarital romantic relationships and mental health in early adulthood: Does the association differ for women and men? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 51, 168–182. CrossRef
Simpson, J. A. (1987). The dissolution of romantic relationships: Factors involved in relationship stability and emotional distress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 683–692. CrossRef
Skinner, E., Edge, K., Altman, J., & Sherwood, H. (2003). Searching for the structure of coping: A review and critique of category systems for classifying ways of coping. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 216–269. CrossRef
Stanton, A. L., Kirk, S. B., Cameron, C. L., & Danoff-Burg, S. (2000). Coping through emotional approach: Scale construction and validation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 1150–1169. CrossRef
Tamres, L. K., Janicki, D., & Helgeson, V. S. (2002). Sex differences in coping behavior: A meta-analytic review and an examination of relative coping. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 6, 2–30. CrossRef
Tashiro, T., & Frazier, P. (2003). »I'll never be in a relationship like that again«: Personal growth following romantic relationship breakups. Personal Relationships, 10, 113–128. CrossRef
Tashiro, T., Frazier, P., & Berman, M. (2006). Stress-related growth following divorce and relationship dissolution. V M. A. Fine, in J. H. Harvey (ur.), Handbook of divorce and relationship dissolution (str. 361–384). Mahwah, NJ, ZDA: Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates.
Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (1996). The posttraumatic growth inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma. Journal of Posttraumatic Stress, 9, 455–471. CrossRef
Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004). Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15, 1–18. CrossRef
Wyder, M., Ward, P., & De Leo, D. (2009). Separation as a suicide risk factor. Journal of Affective Disorders, 116, 208–213. CrossRef
Zupančič, M. (2004). Opredelitev razvojnega obdobja in razvojne naloge v mladostništvu. V L. Marjanovič Umek in M. Zupančič (ur.), Razvojna psihologija (str. 511–524). Ljubljana: Znanstveni Inštitut Filozofske Fakultete.
