Coping style in predicting posttraumatic stress disorder among Israeli students

This prospective study examines the role played by individual coping style in predicting posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among 81 undergraduate students exposed to a terrorist explosion on a bus near their university. Using the Multidimensional Coping Inventory (COPE; Carver et al., 1989), subjects' coping style was measured two weeks before the attack (trait coping style) and again one month after the attack (state coping style). Both measurements were then examined as PTSD predictors at six months. A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed four PTSD predictors: high levels of trait-avoidance coping style; high levels of state-avoidance coping style; high levels of trait emotion-focused coping style; and low levels of state problem-focused coping style. These findings provide evidence to support the importance of early assessment of coping responses among those exposed to a traumatic event.