IHHN Research: Coping Styles in Anxiety and Depression

What coping styles do people with anxiety and depression use most? A new study at Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN) in Karachi, Pakistan, answers this question. Among 293 individuals experiencing anxiety and depression, emotion-focused coping was the most common style. Problem-focused coping came second, and avoidance coping came third. In addition, women showed a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression, while men relied more on avoidance coping.

Why do coping styles matter in anxiety and depression?

Anxiety and depression shape how people respond to distress and handle difficult experiences. For this reason, the coping styles a person uses can either support or hinder their recovery. Understanding these patterns therefore helps clinicians assess patients and design targeted treatment.

What are the three main coping styles?

Researchers often group the strategies in the Brief-COPE Inventory into three coping styles:

• Emotion-focused coping means managing the feelings that stress causes, for example by seeking emotional support or accepting the situation.
• Problem-focused coping means dealing directly with the source of stress, for example by planning or taking active steps.
• Avoidance coping means stepping away from the problem, for example through denial, distraction or disengagement.

How did researchers conduct the study?

Three researchers carried out the study at IHHN. Palwasha Ali and Madiha Mustafa are from the Department of Psychology, University of Karachi. Javeria Rehman is from IHHN’s Psychosocial Department. Together, the team ran a descriptive, cross-sectional survey of 293 individuals.

First, they used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to identify symptoms of anxiety and depression. Next, they used the 28-item Brief-COPE Inventory to measure each person’s coping styles.

What did the study find about coping styles?

• Emotion-focused coping was the most common, followed by problem-focused and then avoidance coping.
• Women showed a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression than men.
• Men, however, were more likely than women to use avoidance coping.
• Substance addiction was a common factor in both problem-focused and avoidance coping.

What do the findings mean for mental health care?

These results can help clinicians tailor treatment. For example, therapists can strengthen healthy coping styles and reduce harmful ones. Similarly, knowing that men lean toward avoidance can guide assessment and treatment planning. The link between substance addiction and certain coping styles also deserves attention in care.

Overall, this research adds to our understanding of how people with anxiety and depression cope in a tertiary-care hospital.

Read the full study

Ali, P., Mustafa, M., & Rehman, J. (2026). Coping styles of individuals experiencing anxiety and depression at a tertiary care hospital. Academy of Education and Social Sciences Review, 6(3), 283–294. https://doi.org/10.48112/aessr.v6i3.1360

The study is open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license, so anyone can read it for free.