Communal coping: Engaging in cooperative coping responses with others facing a similar stressor

To cope with stress, individuals often employ of a variety of coping methods. One method that has received limited attention is communal coping. Communal coping refers to cooperative coping efforts that are undertaken by two or more people to deal with a shared stressor (Lyons, Mickelson, Sullivan, & Coyne, 1998). Unlike other coping responses, communal coping involves appraising a situation as shared and engaging in cooperative action to deal with a stressor. To further understand communal coping, the current study examined the associations between the three components of communal coping (perceived stress, shared appraisals, and cooperative action). In addition, two moderators were examined to provide further insight into differences in tendencies to form shared appraisals and engage in cooperative action.;To assess communal coping, a questionnaire was developed. The questionnaire was administered to a sample of 264 adults.;Pearson's correlation coefficients and hierarchical regression analyses were used to test the predicted direct, mediated, and moderated relationships. The results indicate that perceived stress, shared appraisals, and cooperative action are all positively correlated. Individuals with higher perceived stress ratings formed stronger shared appraisals, and engaged in more cooperative coping responses. Although a positive relationship between perceived stress and cooperative action was found, perceived stress was no longer related to cooperative action, after the variance accounted for by shared appraisals was removed. Thus, shared appraisals was found to mediate the relationship between perceived stress and cooperative action. Finally, interpersonal trust was found to moderate the relationship between shared appraisals and cooperative action. A stronger positive relationship between shared appraisals and cooperative action was found for individuals who perceived the similar other to be less trustworthy. The second moderator, relational-interdependent self-construal, was predicted to influence the relationship between perceived stress and shared appraisals; however significant moderation was not found.;The results of the current study provide preliminary support to the conceptual propositions set forth by Lyons et al. (1998). The results suggest that communal coping is used to deal with a variety of stressful situations and may be more common among individuals within a person's immediate social network.