Ansiedade e coping em crianças e adolescentes: Diferenças relacionadas com a idade e género

Abstract

As relações entre a ansiedade e as estratégias de coping e as diferenças destes constructos em função do género e da idade foram estudadas numa amostra de 916 crianças e adolescentes, estudantes de escolas de diversos concelhos do país, com uma média de idades de 14,4 anos (DP=2,62), dos quais 45,7% pertenciam ao género masculino e 54,3% ao género feminino. As medidas de avaliação utilizadas para operacionalizar as variáveis foram a Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children – MASC (March, 1997) e o Coping Responses Inventory – Youth Form – CRI-Y (Moos, 1993). Os resultados obtidos indicaram que os jovens mais velhos e os indivíduos do género feminino apresentaram níveis de ansiedade mais elevados e utilizam mais estratégias de coping, quando comparados com os jovens mais novos e com os indivíduos do género masculino. De igual modo foi encontrada uma correlação positiva entre a ansiedade e o coping e uma correlação positiva entre idade e coping, no sentido em que a utilização das estratégias de coping aumentam com a idade. Os resultados encontrados foram discutidos à luz da literatura e das suas implicações para a prática clínica.

Portuguese version of the Physical Education State Anxiety Scale: psychometric properties and its association with gender, age and extracurricular physical activity

“…With respect to age, the study's results are consistent with our hypothesis and past evidence reported by Borges et al (2008) and Souza et al (2012), who found younger athletes experiencing more anxiety than older ones. These findings might imply that during adolescence coping strategies are developed and used (Santos, 2011).…”

“…With respect to gender differences, the study's findings are consistent with our hypothesis and past evidence in sport contexts suggesting that females report higher levels of anxiety as compared to males (Borges et al, 2008;Matos et al, 2003;Souza et al, 2012). These differences can be ascribed to biologically determined, but mainly to culturally cultivated reasons (Allen et al, 1998).…”

“…This has been attributed to the greater social approval requested by girls and the boys' greater resistance to admit feelings of anxiety (Batista and Oliveira, 2005). With regard to age, younger athletes tend to be more anxious compared to older ones, implying that older athletes demonstrate greater use of coping strategies (Borges et al, 2008). Souza et al (2012) found that higher sporting experience was associated with lower cognitive and somatic anxiety, as a result of higher selfreliance.…”

Effects of qigong on performance-related anxiety and physiological stress functions in transverse flute music schoolchildren: a feasibility study

“…Anxiety is defined as a manifestation of somatic tension and arousal with symptoms such as shortness of breath, feeling dizzy, dry mouth, trembling or shaking (Watson et al Borges et al, 2008) children and teenagers can`t deal with anxiety, they could present different with various depressive and anxious symptoms that could disturb their individual, familial and social development as well as their development at school. Anxiety disorders are common psychiatric conditions that can cause significant disability, poor quality of life and enormous social costs (Menezes et al, 2007).…”

“…This result supports the hypothesis done by Watson et al 1,2 (1995). Borges et al (2008) have done a study in Portugal to measure the levels of anxiety and coping of teenagers and children and their relation with age and gender.…”