Beliefs in and experiences with sasquatch and corresponding coping strategies.

Abstract

Specific coping strategies were investigated and between-group comparisons were made based on the level of confidence each group had in the existence of sasquatch. The level of confidence was determined by the participants' level of belief combined with their level of experience with sasquatch. Participants were then divided into one of three groups: low, medium, or high confidence. The results indicated that there were no significant differences between groups on their preferred coping strategy. Past research has implied that paranormal beliefs may serve as a psychological coping mechanism, and some studies have shown a weak relationship, indicating that activation of paranormal beliefs may serve a minor role as a coping strategy. However, empirical support is lacking and what constitutes paranormal has been broadly interpreted. The results of this study did not reveal a relationship between a person's level of confidence in the existence of sasquatch and preferred coping strategies. However, a significant correlation was found between the level of income and avoidant coping strategies, showing a linear relationship, where the lower the income level, the higher the scores on avoidant coping strategies. Although these post hoc findings were not the original focus of this research, they are important.