 Therefore, the ways individuals define the severity of a problem are likely dependent on (a) the priority or relevance attached to the problem (b) if they are directly or indirectly affected and (c) the decision whether to employ an individual or collective coping strategy.In this vein, following their studies on communal coping within postdivorce families, Afifi, Hutchinson, and Krouse (2006, p. 399) argued the “specific demands or requirement of a stressor” influence the communal coping process.The cultural context in which the distressing event occur also influence the salience of communal coping in alleviating the stressor.