Editing Coping (section)

===Health theory of coping===
The health theory of coping overcame the limitations of previous theories of coping,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Skinner |first1=Ellen A. |last2=Edge |first2=Kathleen |last3=Altman |first3=Jeffrey |last4=Sherwood |first4=Hayley |title=Searching for the structure of coping: A review and critique of category systems for classifying ways of coping. |journal=Psychological Bulletin |date=March 2003 |volume=129 |issue=2 |pages=216–269 |doi=10.1037/0033-2909.129.2.216 |pmid=12696840 }}</ref> describing coping strategies within categories that are conceptually clear, mutually exclusive, comprehensive, functionally homogenous, functionally distinct, generative and flexible, explains the continuum of coping strategies.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Stallman|first1=Helen M.|author-link=Helen Stallman|date=1 August 2020|title=Health Theory of Coping|journal=Australian Psychologist|volume=55|issue=4|pages=295–306|doi=10.1111/ap.12465|s2cid=218965260}}</ref> The usefulness of all coping strategies to reduce acute distress is acknowledged, however, strategies are categorized as healthy or unhealthy depending on their likelihood of additional adverse consequences. Healthy categories are self-soothing, relaxation/distraction, social support and professional support. Unhealthy coping categories are negative self-talk, harmful activities (e.g., emotional eating, verbal or physical aggression, drugs such as alcohol, self-harm), social withdrawal, and suicidality. Unhealthy coping strategies are used when healthy coping strategies are overwhelmed, not in the absence of healthy coping strategies.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stallman |first1=Helen M |last2=Beaudequin |first2=Denise |last3=Hermens |first3=Daniel F |last4=Eisenberg |first4=Daniel |title=Modelling the relationship between healthy and unhealthy coping strategies to understand overwhelming distress: A Bayesian network approach |journal=Journal of Affective Disorders Reports |date=January 2021 |volume=3 |pages=100054 |doi=10.1016/j.jadr.2020.100054 |s2cid=230542058 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Research has shown that everyone has personal healthy coping strategies (self-soothing, relaxation/distraction), however, access to social and professional support varies. Increasing distress and inadequate support results in the additional use of unhealthy coping strategies.<ref name="Modelling">{{cite journal | doi=10.1016/j.jadr.2020.100054 | title=Modelling the relationship between healthy and unhealthy coping strategies to understand overwhelming distress: A Bayesian network approach | year=2021 | last1=Stallman | first1=Helen M. | last2=Beaudequin | first2=Denise | last3=Hermens | first3=Daniel F. | last4=Eisenberg | first4=Daniel | journal=Journal of Affective Disorders Reports | volume=3 | page=100054 | s2cid=230542058 | doi-access=free }}</ref> Overwhelming distress exceeds the capacity of healthy coping strategies and results in the use of unhealthy coping strategies. Overwhelming distress is caused by problems in one or more biopsychosocial domains of health and wellbeing.<ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30528-0 | title=Suicide following hospitalisation: Systemic treatment failure needs to be the focus rather than risk factors | year=2020 | last1=Stallman | first1=Helen M. | journal=The Lancet Psychiatry | volume=7 | issue=4 | page=303 | pmid=32199498 | s2cid=214617872 }}</ref> The continuum of coping strategies (healthy to unhealthy, independent to social, and low harm to high harm) have been explored in general populations,<ref name="Modelling"/> university students,<ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1080/07448481.2020.1789149 | title=How do university students cope? An exploration of the health theory of coping in a US sample | year=2022 | last1=Stallman | first1=Helen M. | last2=Lipson | first2=Sarah K. | last3=Zhou | first3=Sasha | last4=Eisenberg | first4=Daniel | journal=Journal of American College Health | volume=70 | issue=4 | pages=1179–1185 | pmid=32672507 | s2cid=220585296 | url=https://psyarxiv.com/apmdn/ }}</ref> and paramedics.<ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1016/j.auec.2022.04.001 | title=How do paramedics and student paramedics cope? A cross-sectional study | year=2022 | last1=Dodd | first1=Natalie | last2=Warren-James | first2=Matthew | last3=Stallman | first3=Helen M. | journal=Australasian Emergency Care | volume=25 | issue=4 | pages=321–326 | pmid=35525725 | s2cid=248560858 }}</ref> New evidence propose a more comprehensive view of a continuum iterative transformative process of developing coping competence among palliative care professionals<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Arantzamendi |first=María |title=How palliative care professionals develop coping competence through their career: A grounded theory. |journal=Palliative Medicine|date=2024 |volume=38 |issue=3 |pages=284–296 |doi=10.1177/02692163241229961 |pmid=38380528 |pmc=10955801 }}</ref>