Abstract
The aims of this study were: to assess cognitive and mood problems, perceived social support and coping strategies in adolescence and early adulthood; to understand how coping strategies are related to age, gender and years of schooling; to identify possible stable and modifiable predictors of cognitive and mood problems adopting LISREL software. The participants were 517 adolescents and young adults (age M = 18.95 years, SD = 3.2, range: 14 - 25); 59% were female and with a mean of 13.10 years of schooling (SD = 2.7). Participants were enrolled in secondary schools, association groups or university in Veneto, Italy. They completed a battery of self-report questionnaires via a secure online site or in paper versions. The LISREL model was psychometrically solid and showed good fit (χ2 = 15.96, df = 12, p = 0.19, RMSEA = 0.025), explaining 26% of the variance and showing how the stable factor gender and some modifiable factors, namely certain coping strategies and friends’ support, predicted cognitive and mood problems.
Highlights
Adolescence and young adulthood are periods of transition in which boys and girls face many new challenges that influence their perception of everyday problems
The LISREL model was psychometrically solid and showed good fit (χ2 = 15.96, df = 12, p = 0.19, RMSEA = 0.025), explaining 26% of the variance and showing how the stable factor gender and some modifiable factors, namely certain coping strategies and friends’ support, predicted cognitive and mood problems
We contacted a total of 631 adolescents and young adults, 114 declined, so that the response rate was 82%
Summary
Adolescence and young adulthood are periods of transition in which boys and girls face many new challenges that influence their perception of everyday problems. The way adolescents and young adults deal with their developmental challenges influences their cognition and mood. Adolescents who successfully overcome their developmental chal-. Olbrich (1990) noted that adolescence can be considered a period of coping with and adapting to change. Teenagers have to invest a lot in building their own identity and tackling developmental tasks in order to adapt successfully and avoid crises. Improving their coping skills enables adolescents to perceive and react to stressors in ways that yield positive outcomes
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