Coping and its correlates: What the adolescent coping scale tells us

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper on the coping actions of Australian adolescents reporls on research spanning a 5-year period. The central indicator of coping in this work is the Adolescent Coping Scale (ACS), an 80-item checklist that identifies 18 coping strategies commonly used by adolescents. There are clear indications that age, gender, and family of origin are concomitants of coping. Furthermore, coping varies according to adolescent perceptions of the self, perception of the adolescent's ability by others, family climate, and the experience of stress in the family. Positive family climate is generally associated with the use of functional styles of coping. Adolescents who are identified as highly able or gifted use a different coping repertoire in comparison to their nongifted peers. Young people in intact or separated households use similar strategies to manage their general concerns. Moreover, those dealing with separation of parents were generally as adaptive in their use of coping strategies.