The relationship between emotional impairment and coping styles

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Abstract

Emotional impairment refers to difficulties in emotional self regulation or inability in cognitive processing of emotional data necessary for regulating emotions. This construct is also defined as a way of coping with affective helplessness related to special stresssful situations. The relationship betwenn such impairments and the coping styles, based on data collected from a sample of Tehran University students (156 males and 190 females), is examined here. The instruments used were Toronto Emotional Impairement Scale and Tehran Coping Styles Scale. Results show a significant relationship between the extent of emotional impairment and the coping style. It seems that the coping style used depends on the individual's ability/inability in processing emotional data, regulating and managing emotions, and regulating levels of emotional tranquility or distress.

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