Recipients' criteria for evaluating the skillfulness of comforting communication and the outcomes of comforting interactions

This paper reports on a two-part investigation of people's criteria for evaluating (a) how skillful comforting behavior is, and (b) the outcomes of comforting interactions for distressed persons. In Study 1, individuals were interviewed regarding their experiences in comforting interactions. These interviews, along with previous comforting message research, were used to generate items representing "skillful" comforting behavior and possible outcomes from comforting interactions. These items comprised the questionnaire used in the second study. In Study 2, participants reported on an interaction in which they had been comforted by a friend. Participants rated the comforting behaviors of their friends and the outcomes they experienced following the interaction. In terms of skillfulness of the comfort providers' behavior, five factors emerged: Other Orientation, Problem Solving, Relating, Refraining from General Negativity, and Different Perspective. Three distinct criteria emerged in evaluations of the outcomes of comforting interactions: the recipients' Positive Mood following the comforting, the Empowerment they experienced, and the degree to which they had Stopped Rumination about their problem. Multiple regression analyses revealed the utility of the skillfulness criteria in predicting the outcomes experienced by distressed persons. The results are discussed in terms of theories and research on coping, social support, and comforting messages.