HOW THIS TEST WORKS
How How Do I Handle Stress? works
How version core-v1 is scored, and what it can and cannot tell you.
How it is scored
This test is based on research on coping. Lazarus and Folkman (1984) described two big kinds of coping: working on the problem, and managing the feelings. Later researchers added seeking social support and avoidance as separate ways (Carver and others, 1989; Endler and Parker, 1994). Studies find that no single way is best, and that flexibility, using the way that fits the problem, goes with better well-being (Cheng and others, 2014). The style names in this test are our own.
Part 1 has 24 sentences, six for each of four ways. Each one gives 0 to 4 points to its way. Part 2 has 18 pairs of choices. Every way is paired with every other way three times, and the choice you pick gives 3.1 points to its way. Every way can earn the same total, so the scores compare fairly.
Each score runs from 0 to 100. Your main way is your highest score. Most people use more than one way, so look at all four.
PersonalitySite.com wrote all of these questions and descriptions. They are not copied from any other test.
What it cannot tell you
This test is for learning about yourself. It is not a diagnosis. It cannot tell you if you have anxiety, depression, or any other condition. Do not use it to hire, fire, or judge people.
How you cope changes with the kind of stress, your health, and your life. The way you cope at work may differ from the way you cope at home. Think about stress in general when you answer, and notice if your answers would change for a particular situation.
Some stress comes from unsafe or unfair situations. Coping skills are not a replacement for changing those situations or for getting help.
If two ways are close, you may use both about equally. This version has not yet been tested with a large group of people, so we do not yet know how accurate it is.