Coping by individuals with physical disabilities with perceived challenge in physical activity: are people consistent?

This study examined coping and affective experience to perceived challenge in physical activity settings in 30 individuals with physical disabilities in three separate situations over 6 months. On every occasion, each individual was asked to report the most challenging physical activity of the preceding week and indicate how he or she coped with the challenge and what affective states were experienced. Coping was measured using a modification of Carver, Scheier, and Weintraub's (1989) COPE inventory. Self-reported mood was assessed using the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988). The data indicated that perceived challenge was characterized by high levels of positive affect. Generalizability theory, used to determine the relative stability of coping strategies, indicated that individuals with physical disabilities did not consistently use the same coping skill strategies across settings.