Coping with Victimization by Technological Disaster

TLDR

Technological catastrophes involve failures of human‑made systems and differ in the threats they pose. The study examined coping with chronic stress from technological disasters by analyzing responses to the Three Mile Island nuclear accident. The authors used the Ways of Coping Inventory to assess emotional regulation, problem‑oriented coping, and responsibility/blame among residents near Three Mile Island, comparing their coping patterns to a control group from an undamaged plant and measuring stress via symptom reports, task performance, and urinary catecholamines. Emotionally‑focused coping and self‑blame were linked to lower stress than problem‑focused coping and denial, and emotional regulation and assumption of responsibility were interrelated and associated with perceived control, indicating that a control‑oriented coping style can reduce distress from technological catastrophes.

Abstract

Technological catastrophes, defined as mishaps involving breakdown in human‐made systems, appear to differ in the nature of threats that they pose. Coping with chronic stress associated with these events was examined by considering response to the Three Mile Island nuclear accident. Using the Ways of Coping Inventory (Folkman & Lazarus, 1980), use of emotional regulation, problem‐oriented coping, and the assumption of responsibility or blame for problems associated with living near the damaged plant were considered. Patterns of response at TMI were compared to those of a control group, consisting of people living near an undamaged nuclear plant more than 100 miles from TMI. Stress was assessed by making simultaneous measurements of symptom reporting, task performance, and urinary catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine). Findings suggested that both emotionally‐focused coping and self‐blame were associated with less stress than were problem‐focused coping and denial. Further, emotional regulation and assumption of responsibility for encountered difficulty were related to one another and to perceived control as well. This suggested that a control‐oriented coping style, in which the perception of control is actively created or maintained, can be effective in reducing distress associated with technological catastrophes.