Adolescent Coping Styles and Perceptions of Parental Child Rearing

Abstract

To relate adolescent coping styles to parental rearing practices, 107 15-and 17-year-olds were classified into one of four groups (authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent, or neglectful) based on perceptions of theirparents' rearing practices. Subjects completed the Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences, a measure of adolescents' general coping styles. Those in the indulgent and authoritative groups used more problem-focused coping; those in the indulgent and neglectful groups used more cognitive coping. Perceiving the parents as more warm and supportive was related to greater problem-focused coping; perceiving the parents as higher in firmness and monitoring was related to lowered emotion-focused and cognitive coping. The results are discussed in the context of rearing practices impacting on coping preferences (a) through their influence on encouraging the use of parents and others as sources of instrumental and emotional social support and (b) by facilitating better psychological and psychosocial adjustment.

Stress and Coping in Childhood: The Parents' Role

“…Specifically, parental warmth, support, acceptance, family cohesiveness, and firm rule enforcement are positively associated with active, approach, or problem-solving coping (Brook et al, 2002;Dusek & Danko, 1994;Herman & McHale, 1993;Kliewer, Fearnow, & Miller, 1996;Kliewer & Lewis, 1995;Lohman & Jarvis, 2000;McIntyre & Dusek, 1995;McKernon et al, 2001;Valentiner, Holahan, & Moos, 1994); family adaptability is negatively associated with disengagement (Brown et al, 1993); and parental warmth is negatively associated with using drugs and alcohol to cope with stress (Johnson & Pandina, 1991). The results for avoidant coping are mixed.…”

“…Critics of this approach argue that these methods reduce complex, social interactional processes to reconstructed memories that may focus mostly on the strategies that were used most frequently or were the most successful (for a typical methodological critique and a response, see Coyne & Racioppo, 2000;Lazarus, 2000). Moreover, as previously noted, when information on parenting practices and coping styles both come from the child (e.g., Dusek & Danko, 1994;Johnson & Pandina, 1991;McIntyre & Dusek, 1995;Valentiner et al, 1994), the correlations may reflect cognitive processes inside of the rater's head rather than an actual relation between parenting practices and children's coping behavior (i.e., the methods share a common source of variance). Children who are depressed, for example, might be more likely to rate their relationship with their parents as negative and be less likely to remember using active coping.…”

Perceived Paternal Parenting Style and Proactive Coping Strategies of Indian Adolescents

“…Parenting styles are found to have direct relationship with coping strategies (Lin & Lian, 2011). Controlling parenting styles are found to closely relate to psychological disturbance in adolescence (Dusek & Danko, 1994). Whereas autonomy granting parenting is found to contribute to lower levels of behaviour problems, healthy psychosocial wellbeing and development and increased academic achievement (Gray & Steinberg, 1999).…”

Relación con los padres y estrategias de afrontamiento en adolescentes de Lima

“…Así mismo, quienes percibían a sus padres como indulgentes y negligentes utilizan un afrontamiento más cognitivo, mientras que percibir a los padres como más cálidos y como fuente de apoyo se relaciona con un afrontamiento centrado en el problema. Finalmente, la percepción de los padres como de mayor firmeza y vigilancia se relaciona con un afrontamiento centrado en la emoción y cognitivo (Dusek & Danko, 1994). La calidez parental percibida se asocia positivamente con el afrontamiento activo; mientras que quienes perciben un estilo de crianza autoritario y permisivo por ambos padres muestran un afronte activo a los problemas (Wolfradta, Hempelb & Miles, 2003).…”