Advancing in the career decision-making process: the role of coping strategies and career decision-making profiles

We tested the associations among the career decision-making difficulties, the career decision status, and either (a) the career decision-making profiles of 575 young adults, or (b) the coping strategies of 379 young adults. As hypothesized, a more advanced decision status was negatively associated with both career decision-making difficulties (eta(2) = .24) and the use of non-productive coping strategies (eta(2) = .10), and positively associated with an adaptive career decision-making profile (eta(2) = .05) and the use of support-seeking coping strategies (eta(2) = .06). Productive coping strategies were not found to be associated with decision status (eta(2) = .01). The results and their implications are discussed.