Assessing coping behavior.

Abstract

T h e Coping Inventory, an observation instrument based on Lois Murphy's longitudinal study of children's coping behavior, is described. T h e instrument assesses 48 kinds of coping behavior in order to develop a profile for use in educational and therapeutic planning. Examples and supportive technical data are given.ost children with handicapping M conditions share a common problem: maladaptive coping behavior. They, like adults, are continuously cop ing with the routines and stresses that are part of daily living. T o help them, it is necessary to identify, assess, and teach the skills most related to adaptive coping.This article describes the Coping Inventory,* an observation instrument used to assess the behavior and skills that cliildren use to meet their own needs and to adapt to the demands of their environment. Analysis of children's ability to cope provides information about their resources, vulnerabilities, and general coping style. The resulting score is an index of adaptive behavior.The Coping Inventory is used for educational and therapeutic planning and to help determine the appropriate placement of the marginal child in school. It is also used to generate goals and objectives for more adaptive behavior in the Individual Educational Programs (IEP) required by PL 94-142.Coping is defined as an active, adap tive process of using strategies to manage one's world. It is behavior children learn from the interactions of their development, temperament, prior experience, general level of competence, areas of vulnerability, and the demands of the environment.Coping effectiveness is assessed on a continuum from adaptive to maladap tive. Adaptiue coping behavior is behavior that is appropriate to the environment or situation and/or that enhances efforts to care for oneself. It generates learning that can be generalized to new situations.

Pretend Play: Longitudinal Prediction of Creativity and Affect in Fantasy in Children

“…Russ (1 988) found a relation between the Alternate Uses test and the Zeitlin Coping Inventory (Zeitlin, 1980), a teacher's rating scale. Also, in the original total sample for our study, there was a significant relation between quality of fantasy and number of good coping responses on a younger version of the School Coping Scale (Russ & Peterson, 1990).…”

A Dispositional and Situational Assessment of Children's Coping: Testing Alternative Models of Coping

“…Items were then written to represent the identified categories of coping. Other researchers (e.g., CoUetta, Hadler, & Gregg, 1981;Hyson, 1983;Wertlieb, Weigel, & Feldstein, 1987;Zeitlin, 1980) have developed instruments that relied solely on categorization systems drawn from the theoretical literature, a literature which has emphasized adult coping. Still others (e.g.. Wills, 1985) have taken a less theoretical approach, selecting items from previous inventories supplemented by new items to provide a fuller representation of potential coping responses.…”

The Relationship Between Playfulness and Coping in Preschool Children: A Pilot Study

“…Effective play and coping behaviors share many similar characteristics. Both are self-directed processes that involve creative, multistrategy approaches; persistence; active engagement; and flexibility and often produce positive affect (Bundy, 1993;Florey, 1971;Garmezy & Rutter, 1983;Zeitlin, 1980;Zeitlin & Williamson, 1990). Links have been made between play and coping in terms of adaptability to the demands of the environment, exploration of options, creative problem solving, social competence, and internally driven motivation (Compass, 1987;Rosen, 1974;Takata, 1971;Williamson & Weiner, 1995).…”