Research On Emotional Approach Coping And Its Application In Clinic

In 2000, Stanton et al. put forward the new coping strategy of emotional-approach-coping (EAC), and developed a corresponding scale. The emergence of EAC research is important to coping research. Our study revised this scale, examined the relationship between EAC and other coping strategies, and verified its signification in adjustment. Based on these, 19 undergraduates were included in our study of clinical intervention which was designed according the theory of EAC.Our questionnaire results come from 243 undergraduate students suggested that: (1) our revised scale had a high reliability coefficient and had the same dimensions as Stanton; (2) there was significant gender difference in emotion expression, but not in emotion processing, so the original results of Stanton were no supported; (3) EAC interacted with other coping strategies. The two strategies of emotion expressing and positive coping could forecast the help-searching strategy; and other two, the emotion processing and positive coping, could predict the problem-solving strategy; (4) EAC had positive function on adjustment; (5) emotion expression and emotion processing had different effect on adjustment; (6) gender was an important medi-factor between EAC and adjustment.The consequent clinical intervention showed that: (1) the scores of SAS, SDS and negative coping decreased clearly, the scores of positive-coping and emotion-expression strategy increased significantly, but the emotion processing strategy had no such change; (2)the emotion of female improved clearly; the emotion expression and positive coping of male increased significantly, but the female hadn't so much change as the male; (3) EAC theory could be used to guide clinical intervention of stress coping.