In this study, we examined long-term general life adjustment among members of one trauma-exposed population, Vietnam veterans, using data from a nationally representative sample. Our particular concern was the relationship between coping strategies used in the war zone and the outcomes of achievement, life satisfaction, and lifetime adaptation (the latter defined in terms of the absence of psychosocial problems in core life domains) as a function of level of combat exposure. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses supported a hypothesized quadratic interaction between problem-focused coping and the outcomes of achievement and lifetime adaptation, with this form of coping most strongly related to adjustment (positively) at moderate levels of combat exposure. One aspect of emotion-focused coping, the use of wishful thinking, likewise interacted in a quadratic manner for the dependent variable of achievement, exhibiting its strongest association with adjustment (negatively) at moderate levels of combat exposure. The importance of interactions between coping and stressors, especially quadratic interactions, is emphasized.
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