A Dichotomous Structure Doesn't Capture the Coping Behavior of Emerging Adults

Research has often characterized coping behavior in a binary and dichotomous way; however, this is insufficient for explaining the behavior patterns of emerging adults. College students in particular face many stressors but underutilize support and have few effective stress-reduction services. For the present study, exploratory factor analysis was applied to a coping measure tailored for emerging adults. Participants were 366 college students who completed the measure five days in a row, considering how they coped with the most stressful event they experienced that day. Results indicated that a three-factor structure of Direct, Indirect, and Social Support coping types were a good explanation of the data. Religious coping did not fit in any of the identified factors. More nuanced coping measurements and conceptualizations may help improve our understanding of how emerging adults cope and facilitate the development of more effective stress-reduction interventions. Supplementary Material File (blinded main text.docx) - Download - 41.76 KB Information & Authors Information Version history Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License.

Authors Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 117views 78downloads Citations Download citation Lauren DePaul Trumbach, Scott C. Roesch. A Dichotomous Structure Doesn't Capture the Coping Behavior of Emerging Adults. Authorea. 14 August 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175519997.77579157/v1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175519997.77579157/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.