Perceived stress, coping, and adjustment in adolescents

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.02.014

Journal of Adolescent Health

Volume 38, Issue 4, April 2006, Pages 409-415

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.02.014 Get rights and content

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate age and gender effects on perceived interpersonal stress, coping with interpersonal stressors, and psychological adjustment among early and middle adolescents. Furthermore, the associations of perceived stress and coping with adjustment were examined.

Methods

The sample included 286 Austrian adolescents aged 10 to 14 years who attended the fifth to seventh grade. Self-report data on perceived stress, coping, as well as emotional and behavioral problems, were assessed.

Results

Fifth graders scored lower on maladaptive coping strategies and externalizing problems and reported more adaptive coping strategies than sixth and seventh graders. Compared with boys, girls evaluated a higher amount of perceived interpersonal stress and used more social support. Additionally, girls scored higher on maladaptive coping strategies and emotional distress and scored lower on distraction than boys. Problem-focused and emotion-focused coping were negatively related to emotional and behavioral problems, whereas perceived stress and maladaptive coping was positively associated with adjustment problems. These relations were stronger in female than in male adolescents.

Conclusions

Evaluating multidimensional coping patterns is supported. Particularly, implementation of primary preventive programs during late childhood is suggested.

Section snippets

Sample and procedure

Subjects of the present study were 286 adolescents recruited from three junior high schools in Graz, Austria. They were aged from 10 to 14 years (M = 11.89, SD = .96, 131 males, 155 females) and attended the fifth grade (n = 86, 37 males, 49 females, M = 10.78, SD = .50 years), sixth grade (n = 91, 43 males, 48 females, M = 11.86, SD = .51 years), and seventh grade, respectively (n = 109, 51 males, 58 females, M = 12.79, SD = .47 years). A chi-square test conducted on gender by grade indicated

Perceived stress

A MANOVA revealed a significant main effect of gender, but the main effect of grade level and the interaction effect were not statistically significant (Wilks’ F_GRADE (6,556) = 1.23, ns; Wilks’ F_GENDER (3,278) = 7.89, p < .001; Wilks’ F_{GRADE by GENDER} (6,556) = 1.21, ns). Means and SDs for both main effects are depicted in Table 1. Univariate ANOVAs yielded significant gender main effects on all items; compared with boys, girls reported higher interpersonal stress.

Coping strategies

A MANOVA investigating the

Discussion

The first aim of this study was to examine age and gender effects on perceived interpersonal stress, coping with interpersonal stressors, and psychological adjustment among adolescents aged 10 to 14 years. Therefore, adolescents were asked to complete the German Coping Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents designed by Hampel et al [31], which assessed nine coping strategies representing the coping styles “emotion-focused coping,” “problem-focused coping,” and “maladaptive coping.”

References (35)

I. Seiffge-Krenke
Causal links between stressful events, coping style, and adolescent symptomatology
J Adolesc
(2000)
E. Frydenberg et al.
Boys play sport and girls turn to othersage, gender and ethnicity as determinants of coping
J Adolesc
(1993)
K.D. Rudolph
Gender differences in emotional responses to interpersonal stress during adolescence
J Adolesc Health
(2002)
B.E. Compas et al.
Adolescent stress and copingimplications for psychopathology during adolescence
J Adolesc
(1993)
P. Cohen et al.
An epidemiological study of disorders in late childhood and adolescence. IAge- and gender-specific prevalence
J Child Psychol Psychiatry
(1993)
M. Dekovic et al.
Stability and changes in problem behavior during adolescencelatent growth analysis
J Youth Adolesc
(2004)
H.-C. Steinhausen et al.
Prevalence of child and adolescent psychiatric disordersthe Zürich epidemiological study
Acta Psychiatr Scand
(1998)
B.E. Compas et al.
Risk factors for emotional and behavioral problems in young adolescentsa prospective analysis of adolescent and parental stress and symptoms
J Consult Clin Psychol
(1989)
B.M. Wagner et al.
Daily and major life eventsa test of an integrative model of psychosocial stress
Am J Community Psychol
(1988)
M.A. Herman-Stahl et al.
Approach and avoidant copingimplications for adolescent mental health
J Youth Adolesc
(1995)

B.E. Compas et al.

Coping with stress during childhood and adolescenceproblems, progress, and potential in theory and research

Psychol Bull

(2001)

B.E. Compas et al.

Coping with stressful events in older children and young adolescents

J Consult Clin Psychol

(1988)

J.K. Connor-Smith et al.

Responses to stress in adolescencemeasurement of coping and involuntary stress responses

J Consult Clin Psychol

(2000)

J.K. Connor-Smith et al.

Vulnerability to social stressorscoping as a mediator or moderator of sociotropy and symptoms of anxiety and depression

Cognit Ther Res

(2002)

E.R. Galaif et al.

Longitudinal relations among depression, stress, and coping in high risk youth

J Youth Adolesc

(2003)

N. Garnefski et al.

Relationships between cognitive strategies of adolescents and depressive symptomatology across different types of life event

J Youth Adolesc

(2003)

I. Seiffge-Krenke et al.

Long-term effects of avoidant coping on adolescents′ depressive symptoms

J Youth Adolesc

(2000)

Cited by (291)

The negative association of perceived stress with adolescents’ life satisfaction during the pandemic period: The moderating role of school community support
2023, Heliyon
To analyze the association of perceived stress on the life satisfaction of Chilean adolescents during the recent pandemic, and to evaluate the moderating role that school community support provides.
A total of 1337 adolescents in Chile (56.6% females), aged 14 through 19 (M = 15.99; SD = 1.3) participated. Descriptive statistics, a multiple linear regression model, and moderation analysis were all employed.
Females were associated with lower levels of Life Satisfaction (B = −0.19, p = .042), which was not the case for the Age variable (p = .160). The level of Perceived Stress was shown to have a negative association on Life Satisfaction (B = −1.93, p < .001). The moderation analysis revealed an interaction factor between Perceived Stress and School Community Support as predictors of Life Satisfaction (B = 0.37, t = 4.91, p < .001), showing that higher levels of School Community Support moderated the negative effect of Perceived Stress on Life Satisfaction.
Perceived stress during the pandemic had a negative association on life satisfaction. School community support was a protective factor for this negative effect, even in the case of online classes due to school closures. Strengthening the connection between adolescents and their school communities along with providing additional tools and resources in support of such a connection are both essential.
Exploring the perception of stress in childhood and early adolescence
2023, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
Stressful life experiences may jeopardize the healthy development of children. To improve interventions, more knowledge is needed on the perception of stress by children. In adults, stress is regarded as a state of low valence and high arousal. It is unclear whether children perceive stress similarly. In the current study, 35 children of the general population completed three tasks aiming to provide insight into their knowledge of the concept stress. In the first task, participants were asked about their verbal knowledge of the concept stress. In the second task, they rated the valence and arousal of eight emotion-evoking vignettes. In the final task, participants completed an experience sampling survey for at least 1 day, consisting of a stress thermometer and pictorial scales of valence and arousal. Participants’ perception of stress was found to be mainly valence focused. Age and sex were found to play a role in the degree of arousal focus. Older participants differentiated more in arousal levels than younger participants, as did girls in comparison with boys. Because the perception of stress depends on developmental and other individual factors, using stress as a single measurement dimension in a survey is not recommended.
Class climate, adolescent financial and academic strain, and depressive symptoms
2023, Journal of Affective Disorders
Understanding the risk and protective factors that influence the trajectory of depressive symptoms may help schools better support students in adolescence. The present study used a multilevel framework to examine the effects of adolescent perceptions of financial strain, academic strain, and class climate on their depressive symptoms in the context of Confucian collectivism and an exam-centered culture. The study also investigated the multi-level moderating effects of students' perceptions of class climate and gender on the association between perceptions of strains and depressive symptoms. Drawing on a sample of 13,087 adolescents aged 12–18 years (mean age = 14.53, SD = 1.228) from 28 counties/districts in China, multilevel analysis was conducted, with demographic factors controlled for. The results revealed that the perceptions of financial strain and academic strain were significantly and positively associated with adolescent depressive symptoms, while class climate was significantly and negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Notably, the association between financial strain and depressive symptoms was moderated by class climate at the class level, the association was weaker in classes with a more positive class climate. Furthermore, the results revealed that academic strain was more positively associated with depressive symptoms among female adolescents than male adolescents. These findings highlight the importance of cultivating adolescents in a class climate with the aim of alleviating the financial strain and academic strain; they also indicate the importance of applying gender-specific efforts in programs with an academic strain and depression focus.
Elite athletes' achievement goals, burnout levels, psychosomatic stress symptoms, and coping strategies
2024, Mental Health in Sport and Physical Activity: Selected Writings from the ISSP Academy of Science
The effect of career-related parental support on life satisfaction among vocational school students
2024, Psychology in the Schools
A six-year longitudinal study of parenting and depressive symptoms among Taiwanese adolescents
2024, International Journal of Social Welfare

View all citing articles on Scopus

View full text

Original articlePerceived stress, coping, and adjustment in adolescents

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Section snippets

Sample and procedure

Perceived stress

Coping strategies

Discussion

J Adolesc

J Adolesc

J Adolesc Health

J Adolesc

An epidemiological study of disorders in late childhood and adolescence. IAge- and gender-specific prevalence

J Child Psychol Psychiatry

Stability and changes in problem behavior during adolescencelatent growth analysis

J Youth Adolesc

Prevalence of child and adolescent psychiatric disordersthe Zürich epidemiological study

Acta Psychiatr Scand

Risk factors for emotional and behavioral problems in young adolescentsa prospective analysis of adolescent and parental stress and symptoms

J Consult Clin Psychol

Daily and major life eventsa test of an integrative model of psychosocial stress

Am J Community Psychol

Approach and avoidant copingimplications for adolescent mental health

J Youth Adolesc

Coping with stress during childhood and adolescenceproblems, progress, and potential in theory and research

Psychol Bull

Coping with stressful events in older children and young adolescents

J Consult Clin Psychol

Responses to stress in adolescencemeasurement of coping and involuntary stress responses

J Consult Clin Psychol

Vulnerability to social stressorscoping as a mediator or moderator of sociotropy and symptoms of anxiety and depression

Cognit Ther Res

Longitudinal relations among depression, stress, and coping in high risk youth

J Youth Adolesc

Relationships between cognitive strategies of adolescents and depressive symptomatology across different types of life event

J Youth Adolesc

Long-term effects of avoidant coping on adolescents′ depressive symptoms

J Youth Adolesc

Original article
Perceived stress, coping, and adjustment in adolescents