The measure is divided into three subscales, each containing 16 items: task-oriented coping, emotion-oriented coping, and avoidance-oriented coping.
Thus, two variables related to coping were constructed: (i) approach-oriented coping (sum score of all items on the 'Approach-oriented coping' factor) and (ii) avoidance-oriented coping (sum score of all items on the 'Avoidance-oriented coping' factor).
In order to answer this question, two ANOVA analyses were performed, using presence of psychotic symptoms as the independent variable and (i) approach-oriented coping and (ii) avoidance-oriented coping as dependent variables.
In general, approach-oriented coping is seen as adaptive coping, whereas avoidance-oriented coping is usually considered as non-adaptive coping [ 5].
To visualize the distribution of the use of poor and good coping skills, we calculated the number of patients with (i) more and less use of approach-oriented coping and (ii) more and less use of avoidance-oriented coping separately for patients with and without psychotic symptoms by splitting around the mean adaptive and non-adaptive coping scores.
Patients with non-psychotic psychiatric disorders and additional psychotic symptoms (N = 50) had poorer functioning and were more likely to use avoidance-oriented coping compared to patients with non-psychotic psychiatric disorders without psychotic symptoms (N = 56).
Several studies have shown that the positivity deficits linked to social anxiety can be improved via training to allocate attention to positive stimuli (Taylor et al., 2011), pursue approach- instead of avoidance-oriented social goals (Alden & Taylor, 2011), and cognitively restructure fears of positive evaluation (Fergus et al., 2009).
This inventory measures three different coping styles: task-oriented, emotion-oriented and avoidance-oriented coping.
There were no significant correlations between the EAC scales and the avoidance-oriented items in BACQ.
Based on the content of the items, these factors were labeled "approach-oriented coping" and "avoidance-oriented" coping.
