Students’ Self-Evaluations of Their Coping

Abstract

In order to assist adolescents to cope at their optimum, it is helpful to understand how they evaluate the effectiveness of their coping strategies. This chapter reports 1, 229 students’ evaluations of the effectiveness of their coping responses using the short form of the Adolescent Coping Scale. It addresses the question: Are adolescents’ evaluations consistent with research findings that show that some strategies result in nonproductive outcomes whereas others are more effective in either solving a problem or accommodating to it? In general both age and gender appear to influence strategies defined as useful although the students’ evaluations are generally consistent with reported research. They identify as most productive, strategies such as solve the problem, seek relaxing diversions, work hard, focus on the positive, seek social support, spend time with friends, and physical recreation. Similarly their less positive evaluations of self-blame, give up, worry, and wishful thinking are equally consistent with research outcomes. Nevertheless there is still a substantial minority of adolescents who are prepared to provide support for less helpful strategies. Implications for intervention are considered.