The utility of coping strategies, stress, and emotion as predictors of personality disorder pathology was examined by exposing subjects to a set of stressful scenarios. It was predicted that personality disorder (PD) would be associated with less adaptive coping strategies, higher stress, low control, and low perception of coping efficacy. In general, the results indicated strong correlations between PD and the coping strategies of escape-avoidance and accepting responsibility and weak or negative associations with the problem-solving and positive reappraisal strategies. Personality disorder was associated with stress, negative emotions, and low control/efficacy. The coping/emotion profiles are useful in elaborating and discriminating similarities and differences between PDs.
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