The relationship between coping style, tinnitus severity and emotional distress in a group of tinnitus sufferers

A self‐report questionnaire was constructed to assess the coping style of tinnitus sufferers ( N = 116) attending a specialist out‐patient tinnitus clinic. The questionnaire assessed the frequency with which sufferers reported using each of 40 coping strategies. The sufferers' responses to this questionnaire were factor analysed, revealing three tinnitus coping styles. These were labelled: ‘maladaptive coping’, ‘effective coping’ and ‘passive coping’. The relationship between these coping styles, tinnitus severity and adjustment was examined. Coping style was found to be strongly associated with both tinnitus severity and adjustment and some tentative clinical implications are drawn from these results.