Research reportAdolescent coping profiles differentiate reports of depression and anxiety symptoms
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Adolescent coping profiles differentiate reports of depression and anxiety symptoms
Coping refers to the ways in which individuals respond to and manage stress (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984). In line with the diathesis-stress model of depression, individual differences in coping have been used to differentiate people who develop depressive symptoms following stressful events from those who experience stress but do not develop depressive symptoms (Compas et al., 1993, Evans et al., 2015, Ingram and Luxton, 2005, Sawyer et al., 2009). Thus, coping can serve as a protective factor
Approach versus avoidant coping
Coping strategies have been categorized conceptually into approach and avoidance strategies (Carver and Connor-Smith, 2010, Litman, 2006, Roth and Cohen, 1986). Approach strategies, also referred to as engagement strategies or problem-focused strategies, include primary control (e.g., problem solving) and secondary control (e.g., cognitive restructuring) strategies utilized in an attempt to alter the stressfulness of a situation. Seeking emotional support from others also is typically
Coping in adolescence
Adolescence is a critical period for studying coping (Hussong and Chassin, 2004). Numerous changes occur during this time period, including pubertal development, the development of autonomy, identity formation, and increases in cognitive, behavioral, and emotional capacities for self-regulation (Compas et al., 2001; Garcia, 2010; Griffith et al., 2000; Smetana et al., 2006). Changes in family and peer relationships occur as well as adolescents spend increasing amounts of time with peers (
Participants
All of the participating adolescents were involved in a larger research project (Ohannessian, 2009). During the spring of 2007, 10th and 11th grade students attending public high schools in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. were invited to participate in the study. The sample included 982 15–17 year-old girls (54%) and boys from seven public high schools. The mean age of the adolescents was 16.09 (SD=0.68). Sixty-five percent of the youth were Caucasian, 19% were African-American, 11% were
Descriptive statistics and preliminary analyses
Descriptive statistics and correlations for the nine COPE scales are shown in Table 1. Overall, the adolescents were most likely to seek instrumental and emotional support as a coping strategy when faced with a stressor and least likely to engage in denial as a coping strategy. All of the COPE scales were significantly correlated with one another, with small correlations between the approach-oriented and avoidance-oriented coping scales (e.g., emotional support and denial), and large
Discussion
Despite the multidimensional nature of adolescent coping (Ohannessian et al., 2010, Skinner and Zimmer-Gembeck, 2007), prior research has focused on risk associated with the use of individual strategies, including approach strategies (e.g., social support; Cicognani, 2011) and avoidant strategies (e.g., behavioral disengagement; Horwitz et al., 2011). Rather than studying a single type of coping, the current study identified patterns of coping across nine different strategies. Latent profile
Acknowledgments
We thank the members of the Adolescent Adjustment Project for their help with data collection.
This research was supported by a Grant from the National Institute of Health, USA (K01-AA015059).
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