![[PDF]](/pb-assets/Icons/adobe-pdf-icon-1498649896243.png){kind=icon}
Abstract
The aims of the present study were to (a) examine the factor structure of the Self-Report Coping Scale in a sample of Chinese early adolescents and (b) explore associations between coping and socioemotional functioning in this sample. Participants were N= 569 elementary school students (307 boys) in Grades 4 to 6. Participants completed a measure of coping in response to an argument with a friend. Students’ functioning across multiple domains was assessed using self, peer, and teacher reports. Results suggested a five-factor model of coping in Chinese early adolescents (problem solving, seeking social support, internalizing, externalizing, distancing). In support of predictions, internalizing and distancing coping were positively related to adjustment indices, whereas seeking social support and problem-solving coping were negatively related to outcomes. Results are discussed in terms of the important role of coping for adolescents’ adjustment across multiple domains and in relation to recent shifts in traditional Chinese cultural values.
Keywords coping, culture, adjustment, peers
References
Section:
|
Asher, S. R., Hymel, S., Renshaw, P. D. (1984). Loneliness in children. Child Development, 55, 1456-1464. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Auerbach, R. P., Abela, J. R., Zhu, X., Yao, S. (2010). Understanding the role of coping in the development of depressive symptoms: Symptom specificity, gender differences, and cross-cultural applicability. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 49, 547-561. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Bowker, J., Rubin, K. H., Coplan, R. J. (2012). Social withdrawal in adolescence. In Levesque, R. J. R. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of adolescence (pp. 2817-2824). New York, NY: Springer. Google Scholar | |
|
Bukowski, W. M., Hoza, B., Boivin, M. (1993). Popularity, friendship, and emotional adjustment during early adolescence. In Laursen, B. (Ed.), Close friendships in adolescence (pp. 23-37). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Byrne, B. M. (2006). Structural equation modeling with EQS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Google Scholar | |
|
Causey, D. L., Dubow, E. F. (1992). Development of a self-report coping measure for elementary school children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 21, 47-59. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Chan, D. W. (2004). Social coping and psychological distress among Chinese gifted students in Hong Kong. Gifted Child Quarterly, 48, 30-41. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Chan, D. W. (2005). Emotional intelligence, social coping, and psychological distress among Chinese gifted students in Hong Kong. High Ability Studies, 16, 163-178. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Chan, S. M. (2012). Early adolescent depressive mood: Direct and indirect effects of attributional styles and coping. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 43, 455-470. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Chen, X. (2010). Socioemotional development in Chinese children. In Bond, M. H. (Ed.), Handbook of Chinese psychology (pp. 37-52). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Chen, X., Cen, G., Li, D., He, Y. (2005). Social functioning and adjustment in Chinese children: The imprint of historical time. Child Development, 76, 182-195. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Chen, X., Chang, L., Liu, H., He, Y. (2008). Effects of the peer group on the development of social functioning and academic achievement: A longitudinal study in Chinese children. Child Development, 79, 235-251. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Chen, X., He, Y., De Oliveira, A. M., Lo Coco, A, Zappulla, C., Kaspar, V., DeSouza, A. (2004). Loneliness and social adaptation in Brazilian, Canadian, Chinese and Italian children. Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 45, 1373-1384. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Chen, X., Rubin, K. H., Li, B., Li, D. (1999). Adolescent outcomes of social functioning in Chinese children. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 23, 199-223. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Chen, X., Rubin, K. H., Li, Z. Y. (1995). Social functioning and adjustment in Chinese children: A longitudinal study. Developmental Psychology, 31, 531-539. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Chen, X., Rubin, K. H., Sun, Y. (1992). Social reputation and peer relationships in Chinese and Canadian children: A cross-cultural study. Child Development, 63, 1336-1343. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Clarke, A. T. (2006). Coping with interpersonal stress and psychosocial health among children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35, 11-24. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Coie, J. D., Dodge, K. A., Coppotelli, H. (1982). Dimensions and types of social status: A cross-age perspective. Developmental Psychology, 18, 557-570. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Compas, B. E., Connor-Smith, J. K., Saltzman, H., Thomsen, A. H., Wadsworth, M. E. (2001). Coping with stress during childhood and adolescence: Problems, progress, and potential in theory and research. Psychological Bulletin, 127, 87-127. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Compas, B. E., Forsythe, C. J., Wagner, B. M. (1988). Consistency and variability in causal attributions and coping with stress. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 12, 305-320. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Connor-Smith, J., Compas, B. E., Wadsworth, M. E., Thomsen, A. H., Saltzman, H. (2000). Responses to stress in adolescence: Measurement of coping and involuntary stress responses. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 976-992. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Cross, S. (1995). Self-construals, coping, and stress in cross-cultural adaptation. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 26, 673-697. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
DeLongis, A., Holtzman, S. (2005). Coping in context: The role of stress, social support, and personality in coping. Journal of Personality, 73, 1633-1656. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
DeRosier, M. E., Kupersmidt, J. B., Patterson, C. J. (1994). Children’s academic and behavioral adjustment as a function of the chronicity and proximity of peer rejection. Child Development, 65, 1799-1813. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
D’Zurilla, T. J., Sheedy, C. F. (1992). The relation between social problem-solving ability and subsequent level of academic competence in college students. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 16, 589-599. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Eccles, J.S., Midgley, C., Wigfield, A., Buchanan, C.M., Reuman, D., Flanagan, C., Iver, D.M. (1993). Development during adolescence. The impact of stage-environment fit on young adolescents’ experiences in schools and in families. American Psychologist, 48, 90-101. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Endler, N. S., Parker, J. D. (1990). Multidimensional assessment of coping: A critical evaluation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 844-854. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Eschenbeck, H., Kohlmann, C.-W., Lohaus, A. (2007). Gender differences in coping strategies in children and adolescents. Journal of Individual Differences, 28, 18-26. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Essau, C. (1992). Primary-secondary control and coping: A cross-cultural comparison. Regensburg, Germany: S. Roderer Verlag. Google Scholar | |
|
Fields, L., Prinz, R. J. (1997). Coping and adjustment during childhood and adolescence. Clinical Psychology Review, 17, 937-976. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Findlay, L., Coplan, R. J., Bowker, A. (2009). Keeping it all inside: Shyness, internalizing coping strategies, and socio-emotional adjustment in middle childhood. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 33, 47-54. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Garber, J., Braafladt, N., Weiss, B. (1995). Affect regulation in depressed and nondepressed children and young adolescents. Development and Psychopathology, 7, 93-115. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Gerdes, E.P., Ping, G. (1994). Coping differences between college men and women in China and the United States. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs, 120, 169-198. Google Scholar | Medline | |
|
Greenfield, P. M., Suzuki, L. K., Rothstein-Fisch, C. (2006). Culture and human development: Implications of independence and interdependence for parenting, education, pediatrics, and mental health. In Damon, W. (Series Editor) & Sigel, I. E., Renninger, K. A. (Vol. Eds.), Handbook of Child Psychology: Vol. 4. Child Psychology in Practice (6th ed., pp. 655-699). New York: John Wiley & Sons. Google Scholar | |
|
Harter, S. (1985). Manual for the Self-Perception Profile for Children. Denver, CO: University of Denver. Google Scholar | |
|
Hartup, W. W. (1996). The company they keep: Friendships and their developmental significance. Child Development, 67, 1-13. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Hébert, M., Parent, N., Daignault, I. (2007). The French-Canadian version of the Self-Report Coping Scale: Estimates of reliability, validity, and development of a short form. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 40, 2-15. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Herman-Stahl, M. A., Stemmler, M., Petersen, A. C. (1995). Approach and avoidant coping: Implications for adolescent mental health. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 24, 649-665. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Hightower, A. D., Work, W. C., Cowen, E. L., Lotyczewski, B. S., Spinell, A. P., Guare, J. C., Rohrbeck, C. A. (1986). The Teacher-Child Rating Scale: A brief objective measure of elementary children’s school problem behaviors and competence. School Psychology Review, 15, 393-409. Google Scholar | ISI | |
|
Hu, L., Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1-55. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Kingsbury, M., Coplan, R. J., Rose-Krasnor, L. (2013). Shy but getting by? An examination of the complex links among shyness, coping, and socioemotional functioning in childhood. Social Development, 22, 126-145. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Kochenderfer-Ladd, B. (2004). Peer victimization: The role of emotions in adaptive and maladaptive coping. Social Development, 13, 329-349. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Kochenderfer-Ladd, B., Skinner, K. (2002). Children’s coping strategies: Moderators of the effects of peer victimization? Developmental Psychology, 38, 267-278. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Kovacs, M. (1992). Manual of the Children’s Depression Inventory. Toronto: Multi-Heath Systems. Google Scholar | |
|
Ladd, G. W. (1990). Having friends, keeping friends, making friends, and being liked by peers in the classroom: Predictors of children’s early school adjustment? Child Development, 61, 1081-1100. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Lazarus, R. S., Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York, NY: Springer. Google Scholar | |
|
Lee, H.-c. B., Chan, D. W., Yik, M. S. (1992). Coping styles and psychological distress among Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. Journal of Adolescent Research, 7, 494-506. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Li, H., Chung, O. K., Wong, M. L., Ho, K. Y. (2010). Coping behaviour checklist for Chinese children: Development and psychometric testing. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66, 1633-1643. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Liu, J., Coplan, R.J., Chen, X., Li, D., Ding, X., Zhou, Y. (2014). Unsociability and shyness in Chinese children: Concurrent and predictive relations with indices of adjustment. Social Development, 23, 119-136. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Liu, M., Chen, X. (2003). Friendship networks and social, school and psychological adjustment in Chinese junior high school students. Psychology in the Schools, 40, 5-17. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Liu, X., Tein, J.-Y., Zhao, Z. (2004). Coping strategies and behavioral/emotional problems among Chinese adolescents. Psychiatry Research, 126, 275-285. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
MacCann, C., Fogarty, G. J., Zeidner, M., Roberts, R. D. (2011). Coping mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and academic achievement. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 36, 60-70. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Murberg, T. A., Bru, E. (2004). Social support, negative life events and emotional problems among Norwegian adolescents. School Psychology International, 25, 387-403. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Murberg, T. A., Bru, E. (2005). The role of coping styles as predictors of depressive symptoms among adolescents: A prospective study. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 46, 385-393. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
National Bureau of Statistics of China . (2011). China Statistical Yearbook. Beijing: China Statistics Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Olah, A. (1995). Coping strategies among adolescents: A cross-cultural study. Journal of Adolescence, 18, 491-512. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Rose, A. J., Rudolph, K. D. (2006). A review of sex differences in peer relationship processes: Potential trade-offs for the emotional and behavioral development of boys and girls. Psychological Bulletin, 132, 98-131. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Roth, S., Cohen, L. J. (1986). Approach, avoidance, and coping with stress. American Psychologist, 41, 813-819. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Rueter, M. A., Scaramella, L., Wallace, L. E., Conger, R. D. (1999). First onset of depressive or anxiety disorders predicted by the longitudinal course of internalizing symptoms and parent-adolescent disagreements. Archives of General Psychiatry, 56, 726-732. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Sabri, B., Coohey, C., Campbell, J. (2012). Multiple victimization experiences, resources, and co-occurring mental health problems among substance-using adolescents.Violence and Victims, 27, 744-763. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Scott, L. D. (2004). Correlates of coping with perceived discriminatory experiences among African American adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 27, 123-137. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Tam, V. C.-W., Lam, R. S.-Y. (2005). Stress and coping among migrant and local-born adolescents in Hong Kong, Youth & Society, 36, 312-332. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Terry, D. J. (1994). Determinants of coping: The role of stable and situational factors. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66, 895-910. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Triandis, H.C. (1995). Individualism and Collectivism. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Wadsworth, M. E., Compas, B. E. (2002). Coping with family conflict and economic strain: The adolescent perspective. Society for Research on Adolescence, 12, 243-274. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Wang, Y. (2006). Value changes in an era of social transformations: College-educated Chinese youth. Educational Studies, 32, 233-240. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Welsh, M., Parke, R. D., Widaman, K., O’Neil, R. (2001). Linkages between children’s social and academic competence: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of School Psychology, 39, 463-481. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Wentzel, K. R., Caldwell, K. (1997). Friendships, peer acceptance, and group membership: Relations to academic achievement in middle school. Child Development, 68, 1198-1209. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Wenz-Gross, M., Siperstein, G. N., Untch, A. S., Widaman, K. F. (1997). Stress, social support, and adjustment of adolescents in middle school. Journal of Early Adolescence, 17, 129-151. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Windle, M., Windle, R. C. (1996). Coping strategies, drinking motives, and stressful life events among middle adolescents: Associations with emotional and behavioural problems and with academic functioning. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 105, 551-560. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Xiao, Y.-M., Chang, W. C. (2003). Stress and coping among school-aged children in China. Journal of Psychology in Chinese Societies, 3, 205-231. Google Scholar | |
|
Yeh, C., Inose, M. (2002). Difficulties and coping strategies of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean immigrant students. Adolescence, 37, 69-82. Google Scholar | Medline | |
|
Zhang, H., Chang, K., Zhang, F., Greenberger, E., Cheng, C. (2011). Mental health problems and coping styles of urban and rural high school students in China. Journal of Community Psychology, 39, 1019-1030. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
Author Biographies
Mila Kingsbury is a research associate at the University of Ottawa, Canada. She is interested in social-cognitive factors in the development and maintenance of internalizing problems in childhood and adolescence.
Junsheng Liu is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Shanghai Normal University in Shanghai, China.
Robert J. Coplan is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. He is currently studying risk and protective factors in the etiology of childhood social anxiety, including child characteristics, social cognitions, peer interactions, parents, and teachers.
Xinyin Chen is a professor in the Applied Psychology and Human Development division at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on children and adolescents’ socioemotional functioning and its role in social, school, and psychological adjustment from a contextual-developmental perspective.
Dan Li is chair of the Department of Psychology at Shanghai Normal University in Shanghai, China.
