Table 2.

Study characteristics and main results of included studies for associations between coping strategies and psychophysiological correlates (N=5)

Study references	Study design	Results
Patrick and Hayden,60 1999	Cross-sectional study with 596 women with an adult child with a chronic disability	Coping strategies were associated with well-being.
Elliott and Shewchuk,61 2003	Cross-sectional study with 60 caregivers of patients with several physical disabilities	Problem-focused coping was associated with depression, mental health, social functioning, and vitality.
Fuemmeler et al,62 2005	Cross-sectional study with 47 parents of childhood cancer survivors (vs. 31 parents of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus)	Lower levels of emotion-focused coping were associated with increased frequency of both posttraumatic stress symptoms and general psychological distress.
Hoekstra-Weebers et al,63 2000	Longitudinal study with parents of pediatric cancer patients	Coping was associated with levels of distress and was a buffer for depression.
Schumacher et al,64 1993	Longitudinal study with 75 caregivers of persons receiving chemotherapy	Coping strategies were associated with both strain and depression. Further analysis showed that coping mediated the relationship between strain and depression.