Abstract
Although the development of appropriate coping strategies has been understood as an essential element of healthy adjustment, few studies have demonstrated the link between coping and psychological development. Similarly, research on adolescents with behavioral problems has neglected coping as an important variable in understanding and treating these conditions. This study examines the relationships between psychological development, coping strategies and symptoms in a sample of 302 psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents, ages 12–16. Subjects completed the Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Strategies Questionnaire, (A-COPE), the Youth Self Report symptom checklist (YSR), and Loevinger's measure of ego development. Results showed that Avoidance and Ventilation were associated with increased behavior problems and lower levels of ego development. Problem solving and interpersonal strategies were associated with fewer symptoms and higher levels of development. Significant gender differences were found with girls using more interpersonal coping and boys using more physically active strategies. Gender differences were also found in the relationship of coping strategies to both symptomatic behavior and development. The results are discussed in the context of a developmental approach to adolescent psychopathology.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
McCubbin H, Patterson J: Systematic assessment of family stress, resources and coping. Unpublished manuscript available from The Family Stress Project, University of Minnesota, 1981.
Achenbach TM, Edelbrock C: Manual for the Youth Self Report and Profile. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry, 1987.
Loevinger J, Wessler R, Redmore C: Measuring Ego Development. Vol. 2: Scoring Manual for Woman and Girls. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1970.
Rutter M, Garmezy N: Developmental psychopathology. In E.M. Hetherington (ed.), Mussen's Handbook of Child Psychology. Socialization, Personality and Social Development. Vol. 4. New York: Wiley, 1983.
Garmezy N, Masten AS: Stress, competence and resilience: Common frontiers for therapist and psychopathologist. Behavior Therapy 17: 500-521, 1986.
Garmezy N: Resiliency and competence among adolescents. Keynote Address at the meeting of the Society for Research in Adolescence, April 6–10, Atlanta GA, 1990.
Nassbakht A, Arujo K, Steiner H: A Comparison of adolescent and adult coping styles. Child Psychiat Hum Develpm 27: 3-14, 1996.
Erikson S, Feldman S, Steiner H: Defense reactions and coping strategies in normal adolescents. Child Psychiat Hum Develpm 28: 45-56, 1997.
Delamater A, Kurtz S, Bubb J, White N, Santiago JV: Stress and coping in relation to metabolic control of adolescents with type 1 diabetes. J Dev Behav Pediatr 8(3): 136-140, 1978.
Unger M: Defensiveness in children as it influences acquisition of fear-relavent information. Unpublished masters thesis, University of Florida, 1982.
Knight R, Atkins A, Evans N, Finkelstein JW, Fukushima D, Katz J, Weiner H: Psychological Stress, ego defenses, and cortisol production in children hospitalized for elective surgery. Psychosom Med 41: 40-49, 1979.
Reischl TM, Hirsch BJ: Identity Commitments and coping with a difficult developmental transition. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 18(1): 55-69, 1989.
Irion JC, Coon RC, Blanchard-Fields F: The influence of divorce on coping in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 17(2): 135-145, 1988.
Kurdek L: Gender differences in the psychological symptomatology and coping strategies of young adolescents. Journal of Early Adolescence 7(4): 395-410, 1987.
Tolor A, Fehon D: Coping with stress: A study of male adolescents' coping strategies as related to adjustment. Journal of Adolescent Research 2(1): 33-42, 1987.
Melamed BG, Seigel LJ, Ridley-Johnson R: Coping behaviors in children facing medical stress. In T.M. Field, P.M. McCabe, and N. Schneiderman (eds.), Stress and Coping Across Development. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. pp. 109-137, 1988.
Compas BE, Malcare VL, Fundaro KM: Coping with stressful events in older children and young adults. J Consult Clin Psychol 56(3): 405-411, 1988.
Sroufe L: Infant-caregiver attachment and patterns of adaptation in pre-school: the roots of maladatation and competence. In M. Perlmutter (ed.), Development and Policy Concerning Children With Special Needs. Minnesota Symposium on Child Psychology, Vol 16, pp. 41-84, 1983.
Freud, S: The psychopathology of everyday life. In J. Strachey (ed.), The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, (Vol. 6). London: Hogarth Press, 1968/1901.
Bowlby J: Attachment and Loss: Attachment (Vol. 1). New York: Basic Books, 1969.
Haan N: Coping and Defending. New York: Academic Press, 1997.
Vaillant G: Adaptation to Life. Boston: Little Brown, 1977.
Achenbach TM, Edelbrock C: Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry, 1983.
Cowan P: Piaget with Feelings. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1978.
Loevinger, J: Ego Development: Conceptions and Theories. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1976.
Dweck CS, Goetz TE, Straus NL: Sex differences in learned helplessness: IV. An experimental and naturalistic study of failure generalization and its mediators. J Pers Soc Psychol 38(3): 441-452, 1980.
Labouvie-Vief G, Hakim-Larson J, Hobart CJ: Age, ego level, and the life-span development of coping and defense processes. Psychology and Aging 2(3): 286-293, 1987.
Wertlieb D, Weigel C, Feldstein M: Measuring children's coping. Am J Orthopsychiatry 57(4): 548-560, 1987.
Waldron I: Sex differences in the coronary-prone behavior pattern. In T.M. Dembrowski, S.M. Weiss, J.L. Sheilds, S.G. Haynes, and M. Feinleib (eds.), Coronaryprone Behavior. New York Springer-Verlag, 1979.
Patterson JM, McCubbin HI: A-COPE Adolescent coping orientation for problem experiences. In H.I. McCubbin and A.I. Thompson (eds.), Family assessment inventories for research and practice. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Madison WI, 1987.
American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. (3rd ed., revised). Washington, DC: Author, 1987.
Powers S: Coping with stress: A longitudinal study of adolescents and their families. Proceedings of the Second Biennial Meetings on Adolescent Research, Tuscon, AZ, 1984.
Hauser ST: Loevinger's model and measure of ego development: A critical review. Psychol Bull 83: 928-955, 1976.
Loevinger J: Construct validity of the sentence completion test of ego development. Applied Psychological Measurement, 3(3): 281-311, 1979.
Frank S, Quinlan D: Ego development and adjustment patterns in adolescence. J Abnorm Psychol 85: 505-510, 1976.
Gold SN: Relations between level of ego development and adjustment patterns in adolescents. J Pers Assess 44(6): 630-638, 1980.
Noam G, Hauser S, Santostefano S, Garrison W, Jacobson A, Powers S, Mead M: Ego development and psychopathology: A study of hospitalized adolescents. Child Dev 55: 184-194, 1984.
Browning DL: Psychiatric ward behavior and length of stay in adolescent and young adult inpatients: A developmental approach to prediction. J Consult Clin Psychol 54: 227-230, 1986.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Recklitis, C.J., Noam, G.G. Clinical and Developmental Perspectives on Adolescent Coping. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 30, 87–101 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021998217862
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021998217862