Coping strategies and maladjustment in children and adolescents

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to analyze the relationship between used coping strategies, psychological adjustment and behavioral problems. The approach adopted to understand stress coping provides a context for each situation or problem, in order to facilitate a more precise understanding of coping strategies used by students of elementary education, and in relation to four types of stressors: school, family, peer interaction and health. The participants were 402 school children from 9 to 12 years old who belonged to Primary Educational levels. The instruments used were: the IIEC (Children`s Daily Stress Inventory), the ESAN (Situational Coping Strategies Inventory in Children), and the BASC (Behaviour Assessment System for Children and Adolescents). The results demostrate that children and adolescents use different coping strategies depending on the situation or problem. The analysis of coping strategies revealed that the coping approach is associated with better psychological adjustment and good outcomes regarding adaptation, while the use of avoidance strategies is related to maladjustment and behavioral problems.