The Utility of Coping Through Emotional Approach: A Meta-analysis

Overview

Journal Health Psychol

Specialty Public Health

Date 2024 Feb 8

PMID 38330307

Authors

Michael A Hoyt

Karen Llave

Ashley Wei-Ting Wang

Katie Darabos

Karina G Diaz

Megan Hoch

James J MacDonald

Annette L Stanton

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to examine associations between attempts to cope with stressors through the two facets of emotional approach coping (EAC; i.e., processing and expressing stressor-related emotions) and indicators of physical and mental health.

Method: EBSCO databases including MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Collections were searched from inception to November 2022. In all, 86 studies were included in a meta-analytic evaluation using a random-effects model and meta-regression analysis.

Results: EAC was associated with better overall health ( = .05; = .04; 95% confidence interval = [.003, .10]). Emotional expression (EE) and emotional processing (EP) also were positively associated with better overall health, although these relationships were not statistically significant. In meta-regressions examining specific health domains, EAC was linked to better health in biological/physiological, physical, and resilience-related psychological adjustment domains, as well as to worse outcomes in the risk-related psychological adjustment and mental/emotional distress domains. Results for EE and EP mirrored this pattern; however, only EP was associated with more engagement in health-promoting behaviors.

Conclusions: Coping with stressors through emotional approach appears to be associated with better mental and physical health, with some observed differences for EE and EP. The literature on EAC and health is marked by heterogeneity across study methodologies and measures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Citing Articles

Affect regulation and allostatic load over time.

Ng A, Gruenewald T, Juster R, Trudel-Fitzgerald C Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2024; 169:107163.

PMID: 39116519 PMC: 11856246. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107163.

References

Watkins E . Constructive and unconstructive repetitive thought. Psychol Bull. 2008; 134(2):163-206. PMC: 2672052. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.134.2.163. View

Lennon J, Hevey D, Kinsella L . Gender role conflict, emotional approach coping, self-compassion, and distress in prostate cancer patients: A model of direct and moderating effects. Psychooncology. 2018; 27(8):2009-2015. DOI: 10.1002/pon.4762. View

Smith J, Lumley M, Longo D . Contrasting emotional approach coping with passive coping for chronic myofascial pain. Ann Behav Med. 2002; 24(4):326-35. DOI: 10.1207/S15324796ABM2404_09. View

Segerstrom S, Roach A, Evans D, Schipper L, Darville A . The structure and health correlates of trait repetitive thought in older adults. Psychol Aging. 2010; 25(3):505-15. PMC: 2944001. DOI: 10.1037/a0019456. View

Marroquin B, Czamanski-Cohen J, Weihs K, Stanton A . Implicit loneliness, emotion regulation, and depressive symptoms in breast cancer survivors. J Behav Med. 2016; 39(5):832-44. PMC: 5014704. DOI: 10.1007/s10865-016-9751-9. View

Berghuis J, Stanton A . Adjustment to a dyadic stressor: a longitudinal study of coping and depressive symptoms in infertile couples over an insemination attempt. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2002; 70(2):433-8. DOI: 10.1037//0022-006x.70.2.433. View

Siwik C, Hicks A, Phillips K, Rebholz W, Zimmaro L, Weissbecker I . Impact of coping strategies on perceived stress, depression, and cortisol profiles among gynecologic cancer patients. J Health Psychol. 2017; 25(7):993-1003. DOI: 10.1177/1359105317740737. View

Segerstrom S, Stanton A, Flynn S, Roach A, Testa J, Hardy J . Episodic repetitive thought: dimensions, correlates, and consequences. Anxiety Stress Coping. 2011; 25(1):3-21. PMC: 3237825. DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2011.608126. View

Ziadni M, You D, Johnson L, Lumley M, Darnall B . Emotions matter: The role of emotional approach coping in chronic pain. Eur J Pain. 2020; 24(9):1775-1784. PMC: 7923247. DOI: 10.1002/ejp.1625. View

10.

Zvolensky M, Solomon S, McLeish A, Cassidy D, Bernstein A, Bowman C . Incremental validity of mindfulness-based attention in relation to the concurrent prediction of anxiety and depressive symptomatology and perceptions of health. Cogn Behav Ther. 2006; 35(3):148-58. DOI: 10.1080/16506070600674087. View

11.

Burklund L, Creswell J, Irwin M, Lieberman M . The common and distinct neural bases of affect labeling and reappraisal in healthy adults. Front Psychol. 2014; 5:221. PMC: 3970015. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00221. View

12.

Zangi H, Garratt A, Hagen K, Stanton A, Mowinckel P, Finset A . Emotion regulation in patients with rheumatic diseases: validity and responsiveness of the Emotional Approach Coping Scale (EAC). BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2009; 10:107. PMC: 2749806. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2474-10-107. View

13.

Austenfeld J, Stanton A . Writing about emotions versus goals: effects on hostility and medical care utilization moderated by emotional approach coping processes. Br J Health Psychol. 2008; 13(Pt 1):35-8. DOI: 10.1348/135910707X250857. View

14.

Shapiro J, McCue K, Heyman E, Dey T, Haller H . Coping-related variables associated with individual differences in adjustment to cancer. J Psychosoc Oncol. 2010; 28(1):1-22. DOI: 10.1080/07347330903438883. View

15.

Cohen M, Numa M . Posttraumatic growth in breast cancer survivors: a comparison of volunteers and non-volunteers. Psychooncology. 2010; 20(1):69-76. DOI: 10.1002/pon.1709. View

16.

Yap Y, Bei B, Wiley J . Daily coping moderates the relations between stress and actigraphic sleep: a daily intensive longitudinal study with ecological momentary assessments. Sleep Med. 2021; 88:231-240. DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2021.10.012. View

17.

Averill A, Kasarskis E, Segerstrom S . Expressive disclosure to improve well-being in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a randomised, controlled trial. Psychol Health. 2013; 28(6):701-13. PMC: 4302768. DOI: 10.1080/08870446.2012.754891. View

18.

Roth S, Cohen L . Approach, avoidance, and coping with stress. Am Psychol. 1986; 41(7):813-9. DOI: 10.1037//0003-066x.41.7.813. View

19.

Andrykowski M, Pavlik E . Response to an abnormal ovarian cancer-screening test result: test of the social cognitive processing and cognitive social health information processing models. Psychol Health. 2010; 26(4):383-97. PMC: 2911487. DOI: 10.1080/08870440903437034. View

20.

Low C, Stanton A, Danoff-Burg S . Expressive disclosure and benefit finding among breast cancer patients: mechanisms for positive health effects. Health Psychol. 2006; 25(2):181-9. DOI: 10.1037/0278-6133.25.2.181. View