Coping with Stress, Coping with Violence: Links to Mental Health Outcomes Among At-risk Youth

Abstract

Coping reactions to stressful events are important links between difficult experiences and the emergence of psychopathology. In this study we compared youths' negative coping with stress in general to their negative coping with violence in particular, and utilized a person-centered analytic approach to examine how patterns of coping relate to various mental health outcomes. We utilized survey interview measures to collect data from a sample of 131 youth (ages 11–14, 100% ethnic minority) residing in an economically distressed metropolitan area of the northeast. We observed significant relations between youths' tendencies to cope with stress and violence via externalized-internalized strategies (e.g., yelling to let off steam, crying) and their mental health symptoms. However, we generally did not observe relations between engagement in distancing coping strategies (e.g., making believe nothing happened) and any problematic outcomes. Negative coping does not appear be a monolithic construct uniformly associated with negative outcomes for youth. Distancing coping might represent an especially useful short-term coping response for youth living in socioeconomically distressed conditions from the standpoint of inhibiting symptom development.

Potentially traumatic events, coping strategies and associations with mental health and well-being measures among conflict-affected youth in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

“…Avoidant coping strategies that seek to “just forget it” or distract oneself may in the short-term be effective in reducing psychological distress in contexts of ongoing conflict with profound limitations of an individual to engage with or “fix” their stressor. For example a study with Sudanese refugees found that distancing or avoidance coping in the context of chronic stress might promote positive adaptation [ 57 ]. Use of avoidant coping may foster recovery from traumatic stress by allowing youth to distance themselves and engage in activities that help recoup lost resources [ 58 ].…”

Covid-19—Beyond virology: Potentials for maintaining mental health during lockdown

“…Coping is viewed as a response to perceived stress and defined as "constantly changing cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage specific external and/or internal demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of the person" ( [15], p.141). The way of perceiving and interpreting events and differences in dealing with those have been shown to have different impacts on mental health-an effect that can be found across all ages [12,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Furthermore, in order to reveal emotional and psychological changes throughout the development of the disease, the sample will be longitudinally followed.…”

Coping trajectories in emerging adulthood: The influence of temperament and gender

“…The way individuals cope with challenges has a substantial impact on their well‐being and functioning (Cheng, Lau, & Chan, ; Littleton, Horsley, John, & Nelson, ). For this reason, the study of coping has far‐reaching implications for understanding psychopathology and resilience, as well as for the treatment of psychological disorders (Boxer, Sloan‐Power, Mercado, & Schappell, ; Coyne & Racioppo, ; Skinner, Pitzer, & Brule, ). Lazarus and Folkman's () transactional model, an influential framework for understanding this construct, defines coping as all the “cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage specific external and/or internal demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of the person” (p. 141).…”