The Relation of Patterns of Coping of Inner–City Youth to Psychopathology Symptoms

Abstract

This study provides empirical verification that variations in patterns of coping can explain current and future functioning of youth. The study evaluated the methods and styles of coping of inner–city youth and their relation to age, gender, ethnicity, stress levels, and internalizing and externalizing symptom levels. Three hundred seventy–two 12– to 16–year–old adolescents from inner–city schools (67.0% African American, 24.4% Hispanic; 53.41% males) participated. One hundred forty–nine were also included in a follow–up evaluation of the prospective relation of coping to functioning. A seven–factor model of coping methods was identified and found to be applicable across age groups, genders, and ethnic groups. The model was robust over time. Coping methods were categorized through cluster analysis into five styles. Styles were found to relate somewhat to demographic characteristics and stress levels. Controlling for demographic characteristics and stress levels, coping style related concurrently and prospectively to internalizing and externalizing symptom levels. Except in one instance, age, ethnicity, and gender did not interact with coping in predicting symptoms. Implications for further coping research and risk and intervention design are discussed.

Chronic Childhood Stress: Psychometric Properties of the Chronic Stress Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (CSQ-CA) in Three Independent Samples

“…Second, the convergent validity of the CSQ-CA was supported by the positive relationship with constructs such as internalizing (i.e., anxiety and depression) and externalizing (i.e., acting out) problem behavior, experience of daily hassles, and with maladaptive emotion regulation strategies such as rumination, catastrophizing, self-blame and other-blame. These findings are in line with the results of Tolan et al (2002), who used a social stress measure and found health problems to be related to internalizing and externalizing problem behavior and family transitions to externalizing problems in inner-city youth. Comparatively, self-reported stress predicted increases in rumination 4 months later, which in turn, mediated the relationship between self-reported stress exposure and increases in anxiety over a 7-month period in adolescents (Michl et al 2013).…”

Daily Stress and Alcohol Consumption: Modeling Between-Person and Within-Person Ethnic Variation in Coping Behavior

“…As discussed previously, this coping factor emphasizes attention redeployment and distractions when stressors are encountered. Consistent with past research (e.g., Tolan et al, 2002), use of coping strategies that distance oneself from the problem is associated with substance use and increased symptomatology (Tolan et al, 2002). Interestingly, use of emotional rumination was associated with less alcohol consumption in African Americans; this coping strategy was maladaptive (i.e., associated with more alcohol consumption) for Whites, as it was in the overall sample (see above).…”

Adaptive Coping Reduces the Impact of Community Violence Exposure on Violent Behavior among African American and Latino Male Adolescents

“…Coping levels, and the types of coping responses that comprised each level, were determined by the CYDS team based on reviews of theory and empirical findings (e.g., Compas et al, 2001;Tolan et al, 2002) prior to coding of data. Coping responses were assigned to levels without reference to the specific stressors prompting them.…”

“…Some research has begun to address these recommendations. For example, Tolan and colleagues examined the longitudinal association between coping with many types of stressors and internalizing and externalizing symptoms among a sample of inner-city minority males (Tolan, Gorman-Smith, Henry, Chung, & Hunt, 2002). Coping "minimally" with stressors (e.g., avoidance of problem solving through substance use, venting emotions) was associated with greater increases in symptoms over 1-year compared with coping through support or seeking guidance from others (e.g., talking things out with parents, low use of venting emotions).…”