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Research indicates that self-reports of coping with stressful occurrences are associated with psychological and health outcomes. However, measures of coping may be biased by retrospective distortion as they assess coping over relatively long periods. In this study, a sample of 79 men completed a coping assessment daily for several weeks about the day's most "bothersome" problem. Repeated daily measurement of coping allowed analysis of within-subject effects of coping efforts. Same-day mood reported by the men (targets) and reports of the men's mood by their spouses (observers) were outcome variables. Within-subject analyses indicated that catharsis and social supports were associated with increased negative affect, whereas use of acceptance was associated with less negative affect. Use of distraction, acceptance, and relaxation were associated with increased positive affect. These findings held for target- and observer-reported mood.
Stone et al. (Sun,) studied this question.