| Abstract: | This qualitative study was conducted among persons recoveringfrom substance abuse. The data were collected in three rehabilitationfacilities in Trinidad in 2002–03. The aim was to examinethe types of coping strategies which subjects used and learnedin response to stressful and problematic life situations, startingwith experiences related to childhood and socialization. Thecoping styles reported were overwhelming in the category ofemotion-focused coping, developed in the main to regulate stressin uncontrollable situations in childhood and to cope with theloss of significant others. Only a minority used, or were ableto use, problem-focused or social support coping strategiesto meet stressful events. It is suggested that the observedbias in the development of the individuals’ coping ‘armamentarium’might have had, in the long run, negative implications for individuals’capacity to meet ongoing challenges of life. This has criticalimplications for how we fashion preventive approaches to theproblem of substance abuse. |
