The Relationships Among the Stress Appraisal Process, Coping Disposition, and Level of Acceptance of Disability

The transactional theory of stress and coping (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984b) has served as a useful lens for examining the interaction between a person and his or her varying responses to situational demands. Despite this theory's helpful framework for understanding the coping dispositions that follow primary appraisals in the general population, evidence for people with disabilities requires attention. This study examined the relationships among the stress appraisal process, coping disposition, and level of acceptance of disability. One hundred fifty-one people with disabilities were randomly selected and asked to complete four survey questionnaires. Principal components analysis on data collected from the newly developed Stress Appraisal Inventory for Life Situations instrument resulted in five components that became the basis for the stress appraisal process identified in this study. The findings of this study indicate that certain subjective meanings that people with disabilities attribute to stressful situations are related to particular ways of coping and levels of acceptance of disability. Implications for education, practice, and research are provided.