Medicine,
Mind and Adolescence 1997, XII, 1-2
Coping
Strategies: A Comparative Study of Clinical Group and a
Community Sample
Monique Bolognini*, Bernard Plancherel*, Olivier Halfon*, Michelle Dumont°
Community Sample
Monique Bolognini*, Bernard Plancherel*, Olivier Halfon*, Michelle Dumont°
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Abstract
This research is part of a broader range of studies designed to demonstrate the relationship between coping strategies and mental health. The current study has two main objectives: first, to identify similarities and differences in the coping styles of early adolescents from a community sample (N=223) and other early adolescents from a clinical group (N=47), and second to provide a data base of the coping strategies of boys and girls during early adolescence. In comparing the coping strategies of early adolescents from the community sample with those from the clinical group, it appears that family-focused coping strategies are associated with the absence of mental health disturbances, whereas alcohol consumption and not having positive strategies (avoidance) characterises participants of the clinical group. Findings also show that girls from the community group tend to solve their problems using social relations, whereas boys of the same group react by being optimistic, seeking distraction, and relaxing with games and physical activities.
Key Words: coping strategies, mental health, adolescents.
