A few Alzheimer's patients utilized different coping strategies such as external memory aids (i.e., diaries), routines, and medication. The strategies used helped the patients live their life despite their cognitive deficits.

Practical coping strategies employed by Alzheimer's patients

Which Coping Style Is Likely to Be Used When Faced With a Controllable Stressor?

Many common life stressors are modifiable to some extent, making them suitable for problem-focused coping. For instance, an individual unhappy with their job can seek new employment, a person going through a divorce can look for a new partner, and a student who fails an exam can improve their study habits for the next one. Even a serious health concern, like discovering a breast lump, is a controllable stressor in that it does not automatically equate to a fatal outcome and can be addressed through medical action.

Examples of Problem-Focused Coping for Controllable Stressors

Problem-focused coping is often considered a more effective method for managing stress. Its success stems from its approach of directly confronting and attempting to resolve the root cause of the stressor, rather than merely alleviating the emotional symptoms that arise from it.

Effectiveness of Problem-Focused Coping

Problem-focused coping is a strategy that involves actively trying to alter or manage the source of stress. This approach is similar to everyday problem-solving and is most likely to be employed when individuals perceive the stressor as controllable.

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- Meaning-making coping model
- Emotion-focused coping
- Problem-focused coping 
- Transactional model of stress and coping 
- Dual process model of loss 


Coping Models/Strategies

While problem-focused coping aims to alter the stressor itself, emotion-focused coping seeks to manage the resulting emotional distress. The choice between these strategies often depends on an individual's perception of the stressor's controllability; problem-focused approaches are more common for controllable stressors, whereas emotion-focused strategies are predominant when stressors are seen as unchangeable.

Problem-Focused vs. Emotion-Focused Coping: The Role of Perceived Controllability

Lee, S. M., Roen, K., & Thornton, A. (2014). The psychological impact of a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia, 13(3), 289-305.

The psychological impact of a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

When people experience painful or stressful situations, they attempt to cope by reinterpreting what's happening and search for a new positive understanding. A person will have to reassess their expectations in order to adjust to new situations.

Meaning-making coping model 

A model that proposes that one's ability to deal with and adapt to issues/stressors is a result of the coping strategies that were used. 

Transactional model of stress and coping 

When a person oscillates between different states of grief. 

Dual process model of loss

A style of coping that involves the management of emotional distress. These coping styles tend to be unhealthy, but there are some examples, like turning to religion, that are healthy in situations in which one has no control.

Emotion-focused coping

Problem-Focused Coping and Controllable Stressors

Emotion-focused coping consists of efforts to reduce or manage the negative emotional responses associated with stress, rather than changing the stressor itself. This approach is more likely to be used when individuals believe they are powerless to change the stressful situation, making it particularly effective for dealing with uncontrollable stressors.

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