Abstract: | In a longitudinal study of laid-off industrial workers, we examined the effects of individual differences and situational characteristics on individuals' use of six job loss coping strategies. In each case the predictors explained a significant portion of the variance (30–47 percent) although different predictors were significantly associated with each of the six coping strategies. The results also suggest that the use of problem-focused and symptom-focused coping strategies are complementary rather than mutually exclusive. The study's implications and directions for future research are discussed as well. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |