Research Article
Coping and MCMI-II symptom scales1
Margarete Vollrath,
Randolf Alnæs, Svenn Torgersen,
Corresponding Author
Margarete Vollrath
University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Department of Social Psychology, University of Zurich, Rämistr. 66, 8001 Zurich, SwitzerlandSearch for more papers by this authorMargarete Vollrath,
Randolf Alnæs, Svenn Torgersen,
Corresponding Author
Margarete Vollrath
University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Department of Social Psychology, University of Zurich, Rämistr. 66, 8001 Zurich, SwitzerlandSearch for more papers by this author1
Originally published in Volume 50, Number 5, 1994, pages 727–736.
Abstract
The associations of the MCMI-II symptom scales with dispositional coping strategies were studied among 239 psychiatric outpatients. A similar core-pattern of emotion-focused coping was associated with all symptom scales except the bipolar scale. High scores on the MCMI-II symptom scales were associated with low use of adaptive emotion-focused coping (e.g., seeking social support) and high use of maladaptive emotion-focused coping (e.g., disengagement). Thought disorder, drug dependence, and delusional disorder also were associated with reduced use of problem-focused coping. The findings support the theoretical distinction between adaptive and maladaptive emotion-focused coping. The potential negative impacts of this coping pattern in terms of mental health and life adaptation are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol.
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