Erica Frydenberg

Adolescent coping: the different ways in which boys and girls cope

In order to investigate the ways in which boys and girls cope with their concerns, 650 Year 11 and Year 12 students from seven post-primary schools in Melbourne, Australia were asked to describe how they cope with the main concerns in their lives. In addition to elicitation of spontaneous responses, a modified form of the Ways of Coping Checklist (Folkman and Lazarus, 1980; 1985b) was also administered to obtain an assessment of students coping strategies. Clear differences were found between the ways in which boys and girls cope. Girls seek more social support and generally are more likely than boys to focus on relationships. They also employ more strategies related to hoping for the best and wishful thinking. The question of how boys and girls can develop their coping repertoire so as to increase the adaptability of their responses in difficult situations is also addressed.

A Replication Study of the Structure of the Adolescent Coping Scale: Multiple Forms and Applications of a Self-Report Inventory in a Counselling and Research Context

This paper reports two independent studies designed to investigate the reliability and validity of the Long and the Short Form of the Adolescent Coping Scale (ACS). Since we have found from our research that much of an individuals behaviour is situation-specific there is a Specific Form of the ACS which allows for the measurement of responses to a particular self-nominated (or administrator-nominated) concern. However, it is also clear that an individuals choice of coping strategies is, to a large extent, consistent regardless of the nature of the concern. Thus, there is a General Form of the instrument which addresses how an individual copes with concerns in general. The two sets of data reported, utilising the General and the Specific Form (in a Long and Short format), show the value of utilising separately 18 coping scales when measuring adolescent coping strategies. The reliability, validity and empirical distinctiveness of each scale is demonstrated. Nevertheless, factor analyses reported here show...

Coping with different concerns: Consistency and variation in coping strategies used by adolescents

This study set out to determine the relationship between those things which are of concern to adolescents, and the ways in which young people cope with these concerns. One hundred and seventy-eight senior students from five postprimary schools in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia, completed a checklist designed to measure coping. They did this three times, once for each of three identified domains of concern, namely Achievement and Relationship concerns and Social Issues. The analysis of their coping patterns indicates that regardless of the problem, students have a stable hierarchy of preferred coping strategies which are in the repertoire of most, if not all, students. Nevertheless, significant differences were found in the way students cope with different concerns, the most general finding being that Social Issues concerns were managed in a different way to Achievement and Relationship issues. These findings support a conceptualisation of coping which includes a general style of coping which is not problem specific as well as a component which is specific to a problem.

Adolescents least able to cope: How do they respond to their stresses?

This paper reports the coping strategies characterising self-professed weak copers. In order to do so it examines strategies reported by a subset of a sample of 976 adolescents, as measured by the Adolescent Coping Scale. What is of interest in this investigation are the coping strategies of the most vulnerable adolescent group. Such information would be of great value to those in the helping professions working with adolescents. The results indicate that the least able copers used, at least sometimes, non-productive strategies such as tension reduction, self-blame, ignore, keep to self and, most noticeably, worry and wishful thinking. However, a range of productive strategies was also used at least sometimes, including problem-solving, working hard and focusing on the positive. The implications of these findings for turning poor copers into good copers is discussed.

Coping with concerns : An exploratory comparison of Australian, Colombian, German and Palestinian adolescents

Consistent with an emphasis on positive psychology, and on ability rather than deficit, this study of adolescents in 4 communities sought to examine how young people cope with their concerns. Samples of Australian, Colombian, German, and Palestinian students completed the general form of the Adolescent Coping Scale, an 80-item instrument used to measure coping. A comparison of young peoples usage of 3 coping styles and 18 coping strategies within these communities indicated that Palestinian youth report greater usage of all but three strategies (namely, physical recreation, relaxation, and tension reduction), and German youth report the least usage of 2/3 of the strategies assessed. Both Palestinian and Colombian youth were noted to utilize more seek to belong, focus on the positive, social action, solving the problem, seeking spiritual support, and worry than were German or Australian adolescents. When the relative usage of coping strategies within national settings was considered, some noticeable differences were apparent. For example it was found that regardless of the national setting young people reported most frequent use of working hard and use of problem solving strategies. When it comes to more culturally determined activities such as physical recreation, the Australian and German students ranked this strategy more highly in their coping repertoires than do the Colombians, and more noticeably, the Palestinian students. For example, although physical recreation is ranked as the second most commonly used strategy for the German sample, it is ranked 16th by the Palestinians. The study demonstrates the importance of identifying coping strategies that are reflective of each community under investigation. Similarity in coping cannot be assumed across different student populations. Consequently caution needs to be exercised when importing coping programs from one community to another.

Enhancing Coping Resources in Early Adolescence Through a School-based Program Teaching Optimistic Thinking skills

This study examined the effectiveness of a universal school-based prevention program that was designed to increase coping resources in preadolescents through the modeling and teaching of optimistic thinking skills. School psychologists, together with classroom teachers, implemented an eight-week program in eight Year 5 and 6 class groups as part of the regular school curricula. One hundred and sixty children who participated in the program were compared to 135 children in 8 control groups on pre- and post-test questionnaires. Post-test responses show that children who participated in the program reported significant improvements in coping efficacy, and reductions in depressive attributions and use of the non-productive coping strategies of worry, wishful thinking, not coping, and ignoring the problem when compared to controls. These results support the feasibility of implementing low-cost, non-intrusive programs in school settings that address the emotional health of all young people. Support is also provided for theories that suggest attributions for events and coping efficacy influence the selection of coping strategies.

Coping Competencies: What to Teach and When

What we know about coping—the theory, conceptual framework, what is good and bad coping, and how we learn to cope—has important implications for how we deal with life circumstances and, in particular, how we manage conflict. This article outlines how we conceptualize coping as a response to stress and as a means to develop resilience. The measurement of the construct and the insights that research has provided have enabled us to develop programs to teach young people how to cope. One such program, the Best of Coping, is detailed and evaluated in a number of school settings in Australia and Italy. The implications of using a language of coping in educational contexts provides a promising mechanism for equipping young people to deal with the conflicts and difficulties that may arise in their lives, within and beyond school settings.

Things don't get better just because you're older: A case for facilitating reflection

Aims. This study reports on the coping actions of Australian secondary students and highlights the role schools may play in helping adolescents to both document, and if desired, modify their current styles and strategies of coping. Sample. A sample of 829 Australian school students (11-18 years) participated in the study. Methods. All participants completed the General Form of the Adolescent Coping Scale (ACS, Frydenberg & Lewis, 1993 a), and gender, age and SES were the predictors of coping. Results. Girls sought more social support but less professional advice than did boys. In addition, girls professed less ability to cope and were more likely to utilise strategies such as tension reduction, self-blame and worry. In contrast boys were more likely to seek relaxing diversions or physical recreation, to ignore the problem and to keep problems to themselves. There was also a greater usage of two non-productive coping strategies by older adolescents but the tendency was more noticeable for females. Finally, adolescents from white collar backgrounds expressed less worry and were less likely to engage in wishful thinking or to seek spiritual support than were students from low SES. Conclusions. The reported data provide a reference point for student selfevaluation of their own adaptive behaviour.

Cyber-Bullying in Australian Schools: Profiles of Adolescent Coping and Insights for School Practitioners

Abstract Cyber-bullying has emerged as the latest Permutation of school bullying. The growing number and the level of severity of cyber-bullying call for our educators, researchers, administrators, and authorities to take action. But before we can tackle this problem, a better understanding of the issue and how we can best support students is necessary. This study of 652 young people aged 11–17 years from Melbourne independent and state government schools, provides data on bullying that uses information and communication technologies (cyber-bullying), general bullying, and overall patterns of coping. Results revealed significant gender and school differences – with girls from independent schools reporting more cyber-bullying problems. These findings contrast with those of ‘real-world’(general) school bullying. Further analyses suggest that young people who are persistently victimised have most likely exhausted their strategies for responding. Of note, apprehensive and avoidant coping profiles exemplified girls reporting greater levels of cyber-bullying while boys reporting cyber-bullying problems were characterized by apprehensive, but active coping actions. The findings offer clear avenues of support for school practitioners and may also facilitate the identification of young people who are at high risk for negative outcomes.

Perceived Control and Adaptive Coping: Programs for Adolescent Students who have Learning Disabilities

This study explored the effect of a coping program and a teacher feedback intervention on perceived control and adaptive coping for 98 adolescent students who had specific learning disabilities. The coping program was modified to build personal control and to address the needs of students who have specific learning disabilities. The teacher feedback program emphasized use of effort and strategy in the face of difficulty. Oneway analyses of covariance of student responses indicated a greater perceived control of external situations and increased use of productive coping strategies for the group who received the coping program. There was no change in internal control of feelings or of use of non-productive coping. These results were maintained over the two-month follow-up period. The study provides preliminary evidence that it is possible to facilitate positive change in both sense of control and coping patterns for students who have learning disabilities.