Dimensions of coping and anxiety symptoms in a community sample of young children

Abstract

Coping style plays an important role in children's wellbeing. This paper describes the patterns of associations between children's self-reported coping styles and symptoms of anxiety in order to determine whether particular dimensions are associated with better adjustment. Participants were 2566 children (1268 girls, 1298 boys) aged seven to eleven years attending 15 schools in the South East of England. Results showed that aspects of coping were differentially associated with children's self-reported anxiety.Patterns of association also varied by age and gender. Dimensions of coping were shown to form distinct adaptive and maladaptive coping styles which were also differentially associated with anxiety. Analysis of these styles indicated that it is the absence of maladaptive coping strategies, rather than the presence of adaptive strategies, that is significant in emotional wellbeing. These findings suggest that interventions designed to reduce or extinguish maladaptive coping styles may be of particular benefit in facilitating emotional wellbeing.

Understanding effects of COVID‐19 on undergraduate academic stress, motivation and coping over time

“…This pattern, although only significant for Year 2 students, suggests that students were more likely to rely on strategies commonly associated with poorer emotional outcomes (e.g. Quy et al, 2018).…”

“…Finally, coping, or how individuals navigate and respond to stressors, has been found to play a significant role in psychological well‐being (Folkman et al, 1986; Quy et al, 2018; Rueda & Valls, 2020). Coping strategies can be classed as adaptive if they help manage individual stress responses in the long term (for instance, doing something constructive, or focusing on the positive in a situation) or maladaptive if they do not help, or even exacerbate the problem (Moritz et al, 2016).…”

“…There is an emerging literature exploring coping responses in this way in the context of COVID‐19. Emotion‐focused coping, including denial, wishful thinking and emotional expression, has consistently been associated with poorer outcomes and higher levels of internalising symptoms (Compas et al, 2001; Guszkowska & Dąbrowska‐Zimakowska, 2022; Quy et al, 2018). Furthermore, uncertainty, such as that engendered by a global health crisis, has been linked to increases in emotion‐focused coping, potentially leading to increases in anxiety (Taha et al, 2014).…”

Development and Preliminary Validation of a Self-Report Coping Response Measure in a Community Sample of Children in Middle Childhood

“…The items most strongly associated with higher levels of anxiety were "I find it hard to stop thinking about it," t(2399) = -17.71, p < .001, d = -.72, and "I stay upset for several days," t(859.1) = 15.78, p < .001, d = 1.08. The items most strongly associated with lower levels of anxiety were "I can change how I feel," t(1552.1) = 8.33, p < .001, d = .42, "I can see the good side of things," t(916.1) = 6.41, p < .001, d = .42, and "I can calm myself down," t(923.5) = 7.03, p < .001, d = .46 Concurrent validity with this measure is reported in greater detail elsewhere (Quy, Gibb, Neil, & Smith, 2018).…”

Exploring Relationships Between Coping Styles and Wellbeing Among Girls and Boys During the COVID-19 Crisis in the UK

“…One key factor shaping individuals' development, resilience and functioning is coping, which refers to the different ways individuals respond to stressful circumstances behaviourally and emotionally (Quy et al, 2018;Skinner & Zimmer-Gembeck, 2007). Particularly, as Skinner et al (2003) argue, a structure of categorisation that groups coping strategies into styles or patterns may be crucial, as it helps reveal the mechanisms through which coping has short-term and long-term effects on individuals' mental and physical wellbeing.…”