Can differences in stress perception and coping explain sex differences in depressive symptoms in adolescents?

A four-year longitudinal study explored the different contribution of low self-esteem, different types of stressors, conflict in close relationships and avoidant coping to the explanation of depressive symptomatology in adolescents. One hundred and ninety adolescents, 101 females and 89 males, participated in four annual assessments using diverse instruments. ANOVAs repeated measurements revealed a higher stress level, more conflicts with mothers and more avoidant coping in females as compared to males at the age of 14 years. Males showed fewer depressive symptoms and higher positive self-esteem at all times. Multiple regression analysis revealed that stress and avoidant coping in early and mid-adolescence explained a significant proportion of depressive symptoms among females in late adolescence. Among males, only the level of conflicts with friends in early adolescence contributed to their level of depressive outcome in late adolescence.     

Incidence of psychiatric treatment of adolescents.

The characteristics of adolescents aged 15-19 years who received psychiatric treatment for the first time in British Columbia in 1966 are considered. Females predominated substantially over males, as did those living in urban areas over those in rural ones. Somatic, psychological, behavioural and suicidal presenting problems were commoner in females, with delinquent and academic ones being more frequent in males. Depression, psychoneurosis and personality disorders were commoner in females. Medication was used in conjunction with psychotherapy more frequently in females. Long-term psychotherapy (more than 16 visits to a psychiatric facility) was employed in only 3% of females and 2% of males. Psychiatrists provided the greatest amount of care given. The hypothesis that females from rural areas living in the city constitute a vulnerable group of individuals more likely than their adolescent peers to seek psychiatric care requires evaluation in a further study.     

Perceived Social Support, Coping Strategies and Alcohol Use among Rural Adolescents/USA Sample

Purpose Rural adolescents are under-researched in substance use studies. The purpose of this study was to determine whether perceived social support and coping strategies predict rural adolescents’ alcohol use. Materials and Methods Ordinal logistic regression was used to examine the relationship among alcohol use levels, coping strategies, and perceived social support. A total of 376 females and 248 males (average age 16 years) recruited from four rural high schools. Results Perceived family social support was a strong protective factor against alcohol use (OR=1.05, p _Wald=0.002) while avoidance coping strategy was a strong risk factor of alcohol use (OR=1.022, p _Wald=0.008). Female and male rural adolescents were significantly different in alcohol use level (χ ²=15.77, df=2/623, p=<0.001). Conclusion Avoidance coping strategies and perception of social support from family are strong predictors of alcohol level among rural adolescents.     

African American adolescents: adaptational processes and socioeconomic diversity in behavioural outcomes

The study was concerned with determining the relationship of economic diversity to stress reactivity. Parental ratings of competence and behavioural problems were obtained for very young adolescents following a long-term and highly acute stress: the Atlanta youth murders. Intellectual and identity-formation data obtained both before and after the crisis were analyzed with the parental ratings of youth competence and behavioural problems. Consistent socioeconomic status (SES) links between the manifestation of behavioural problems and the display of competencies were obtained; lower income (LI) youths manifested more problems and fewer competencies. The findings were more pronounced for LI males. Personal identity was a significant predictor of school competence. School self-esteem was a predictor of academic performance. The manifestation of behavioural problems was significantly predicted by cognitive performance variables. The findings are discussed in terms of variations in adaptational strategies mediated by socioeconomic status and psychological factors.     

Gender and developmental effects on perceived stress, coping, somatic symptoms and psychological disorders among children and adolescents

The aim of this one-year longitudinal study was to investigate gender and developmental effects on perceived stress related to interpersonal stressors, coping strategies, somatic symptoms and psychological disorders. Additionally, associations of perceived stress and coping styles at the first assessment with psychological problems at the second measurement were examined. In total, N = 169 Austrian children and adolescents (ages 10 to 13 years) participated in this self-report study. Compared to male children and adolescents, female counterparts scored higher on perceived stress related to interpersonal stressors and on social support but evaluated a lower amount of distraction. Moreover, girls reported higher levels of somatic symptoms and anxiety/depression. Boys showed a developmental increase in anger control problems and both genders showed developmental increases in antisocial behavior. Low levels of the emotion-focused coping strategies distraction and minimization were related longitudinally to emotional and behavioral disorders. The results support gender-adjusted stress management programs applied in the primary and secondary prevention.     

Coping strategies and behavioral/emotional problems among Chinese adolescents

This study was carried out to describe strategies used to cope with stress and to explore the association between coping strategies and behavioral/emotional problems in a community sample of adolescents from Mainland China. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire incorporating the Chinese Trait Coping Style Questionnaire, the Chinese version of the Youth Self-Report of Child Behavior Checklist, and a number of demographic questions. Results indicated that Chinese adolescents often used multiple coping strategies when faced with stress. Principal factor analysis followed by oblique rotation revealed two dimensions of coping strategies in Chinese adolescents: active coping and avoidant coping. A series of logistic regression analyses showed that avoidant coping was significantly associated with increased risk for internalizing and externalizing problems, but active coping was associated with reduced risk, after adjustment for child's age and sex and father's occupation. These findings provide evidence of the association between coping and mental health problems in Chinese adolescents.     

Behavioural and substance use problems in rural and urban delinquent youths.

OBJECTIVE: To examine rates of behavioural and substance use problems in incarcerated young offenders and to explore rural and urban differences in the expression and severity of these problems. METHOD: We assessed a sample of 68 confined male young offenders (63.3% rural and 35.3% urban), using the Drug Use Screening Inventory (DUSI) and the Youth Self-Report (YSR). RESULTS: Based on clinical cut-offs, data showed high rates of externalizing behavioural problems (75.4%) and substance use problems (95.7%). Urban delinquent youths showed higher rates of attention problems, delinquent behaviours, and externalizing behaviours than those in rural communities. CONCLUSIONS: Incarcerated young offenders show elevated rates of psychological problems that require treatment. Rural and urban differences in the rates of these problems may reflect differences in community service availability in these areas or in environmental influences on the development of child behavioural problems.     

The relationship of gender,gender identity,and coping strategies in late adolescents

The relationships among gender, gender identity, and coping in late adolescents were examined. One hundred sixty-nine late adolescents completed measures assessing their masculinity and femininity, as well as their use of coping strategies. Females endorsed greater use of emotion-focused coping strategies than males. Late adolescents who were high in masculinity endorsed higher levels of problem-focused coping strategies than those who were low in masculinity. In contrast, late adolescents who were high in femininity endorsed higher levels of emotion-focused coping strategies than those who were low in femininity. Neither the gender nor the masculinity and femininity of late adolescents were predictive of the use of avoidant coping strategies. Overall, gender identity made an important and independent contribution to the endorsement of coping strategy use. These results emphasize the importance of assessing both gender and gender identity with regard to coping in late adolescents.     

Folk hero modeling therapy for Puerto Rican adolescents

Puerto Ricans are concentrated in the Northeastern United States in predominantly low socioeconomic status, urban Hispanic communities. Due to a constellation of stressors associated with their minority status, bilingualism and bicultural conflicts, Puerto Rican adolescents are at high risk of mental disorder. Research has shown that factors such as migration experiences, low socioeconomic status, and Hispanic values conflicting with Anglo culture (e.g., familism, spiritualistic and folk beliefs, orientation to time) are associated with higher rates of psychiatric symptomatology in the Hispanic population. Community mental health resources are under utilized, and traditional therapy modalities have had limited success in remedying the emotional and behavioural problems of Hispanics. This paper reviews several approaches to the delivery of culturally sensitive mental health services to Hispanic populations and describes the development of a new modality for Puerto Rican adolescents. The modality presents Puerto Rican folk heroes and heroines in a modelling therapy targeted towards enhancing adolescents' pride in their ethnic heritage, self-esteem, and adaptive coping with stress. The therapy was implemented on a small-group basis with 21 Puerto Rican adolescents, some of whom participated with their mothers. A clinical evaluation of the therapy was conducted by summarizing therapists' progress reports on each participant and by interviewing the participants about their impressions of the therapy experience. Progress reports and participants' self-reports indicated that the adolescents increased in self-disclosure and self-confidence; they gained pride in being Puerto Rican; they learned adaptive mechanisms for coping with stress; and they enjoyed learning about famous Puerto Ricans and their culture.     

Mental health, stress correlates and psychotropic drug use or non-use among aged caregivers to elders with dementia

The goal of the study was to compare caregivers who used psychotropic drugs with caregivers who were non-users in order to pinpoint differences in coping styles between the two groups. We performed a secondary analysis of a study on the stress and psychological well-being of persons caring for relatives with dementia. We compared elderly caregivers, as either psychotropic drug users (n = 61) or non-users (n = 133), over various psychosocial characteristics relating to the care-giving context. Results reveal that users, as compared to non-users were: (a) more disturbed (appraised a greater stress) by the relative's dysfunctional behaviours, after controlling for the frequency of the behaviours; and (b) experienced more conflict during interpersonal interactions, although their appraisal of self-satisfaction with formal and informal support to their care-giving activities did not differ significantly. Strikingly, users combined and called on a greater number of problem-focused and emotion-reducing coping strategies than did non-users. They more frequently used affective regulation and information seeking coping styles. Stress-related measures (especially stress appraisal and conflict) contributed more to the variation in mental distress of users than of non-users. Results provide a theoretical and empirical rationale for therapeutic interventions such as the cognitive behavioural approach.     

Social competence and emotional/behaviour problems in 6–16 year-old Swedish school children

Social competence and emotional/behavioural problems as reported by parents on a Swedish version of the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) were examined in 1308 Swedish school-aged children/adolescents recruited from a stratified, random sample of schools in urban, semirural, and rural areas in Uppsala County, Sweden, and from Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden. The overall response rate was 80.6%. Few gender differences were found, but adolescents received higher problem scores and higher social competence scores than the younger children. Children from the middle SES groups were regarded as having higher social competence levels, and children from the lower SES groups had higher emotional/behaviour problem scores. Children from the larger cities consistently obtained higher problem scores. Those who had received help during the previous year because of psychological problems (2%) had much higher problems scores than those who had not received help. The levels of emotional/behavioural problems in children and adolescents in the present sample seem to be comparable to those reported in similar Scandinavian studies where the CBCL has been used. However, they were considerably lower than those commonly reported in epidemiological studies of children/adolescents from other countries and cultures. Accepted: 26 August 1998     

城乡Alzheimer病照料者心理状况分析

目的:了解城乡Alzheimer病家庭照料者的心理状况和应付行为及影响因素.方法:采用一般健康问卷(GHQ),家庭应付行为问卷(FCQ)对照料者(城市组103名,农村组100名)进行访谈.结 果:城市组存在的心理障碍明显高于农村组.GHQ的影响因素中,城市组偏重于患者方面的因素,农村组偏重于照料者自身的因素,两组FCQ的影响因素也不同.结论:解决痴呆照料者的心理问题和应付行为等需从多方面入手.     

Maladaptive Coping Styles in Adolescents with Internet Gaming Disorder Symptoms

Problematic Internet gaming represents a potential public health concern due to its negative consequences for players and their families. It has been argued that disordered gaming may manifest more readily in vulnerable individuals who lack alternative means of coping. This study investigated Internet gaming disorder (IGD) in relation to coping, including emotion- and problem-focused coping styles. The sample was 823 adolescents (402 males) recruited from secondary schools. Participants completed surveys including the DSM-5 IGD checklist and the Brief COPE. Symptoms of IGD were significantly positively related to denial and behavioural disengagement but were not related to 10 other coping styles. Hours spent gaming and denial coping were the strongest predictors of IGD symptoms. These findings suggest that IGD may co-occur with a tendency toward denial coping, highlighting the significant challenge for practitioners in obtaining reliable assessment by self-report and developing an effective therapeutic alliance in interventions for adolescents.     

Urban adolescent stress and hopelessness

This study sought to explore potential mechanisms through which uncontrollable, chronic stressors may lead to hopelessness in low-income, urban adolescents. In particular, the roles of specific coping strategies as moderators and/or mediators of the association between stressors and hopelessness were examined. Results suggest that chronic, uncontrollable stressors were significantly and positively related to hopelessness in this sample. Active coping, distraction coping, and social-support-seeking coping emerged as moderators for males, such that uncontrollable stressors were more highly associated with hopelessness for those boys who reported using more active, distraction, and social-support-seeking coping strategies. An analogous moderating effect was found for ruminative coping for girls. Ruminative coping also emerged as a mediator of the relation between uncontrollable stressors and hopelessness for girls.     

Attachment Characteristics and Behavioural Problems in Rural and Urban Juvenile Delinquents

Self-reported attachment characteristics, substance use and behavioural problems were assessed in 68 male juvenile delinquents from rural and urban areas. As was predicted, insecure attachment characteristics were related to behavioural problems, substance use, and poor family functioning. Urban delinquents reported more substance use and more interpersonal problems with peers and family members than their rural counterparts. Contextual influences on adolescent attachment relationships and adjustment problems may have implications for the administration and delivery of psychological treatments in youth correctional settings.     

Emotional and behavioural problems in migrant adolescents in Belgium

Refugee and migrant adolsescents may be at increased risk for the development of emotional and behavioural problems. Since studies on this topic are rather scarce and results inconsistent, this large-scale screening study aims at investigating the prevalence of emotional and behavioural problems in recently arrived migrant adolescents in Belgium, compared to Belgian peers. About 1,249 migrant adolescents and 602 Belgian adolescents filled in four self-report questionnaires on the prevalence of emotional and behavioural problems, traumatic experiences and symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Migrant adolescents experienced more traumatic events than their Belgian peers, and show higher levels of peer problems and avoidance symptoms. On the contrary, non-migrant adolescents reveal more symptoms of anxiety, externalising problems and hyperactivity. Factors influencing the prevalence of emotional and behavioural problems are the number of traumatic events experienced, gender and the living situation. Although migrant and non-migrant adolescents don’t differ much in the prevalence of emotional and behavioural symptoms, attention should be given to the screening and support of risk groups within the population of migrant adolescents, such as girls, those who experienced a lot of traumatic events and unaccompanied refugee children and adolescents.     

Behavioural and neural sequelae of stressor exposure are not modulated by controllability in females

The degree of behavioural control that an organism has over a stressor is a potent modulator of the stressor's impact; controllable stressors produce none of the neurochemical and behavioural sequelae that occur if the stressor is uncontrollable. Research demonstrating the importance of control and the neural mechanisms responsible has been conducted almost entirely with male rats. It is unknown if behavioural control is stress blunting in females, and whether or not a similar resilience circuitry is engaged. Female rats were exposed to controllable, yoked uncontrollable or no tailshock. In separate experiments, behavioural (juvenile social exploration, fear and shuttle box escape) and neurochemical (activation of dorsal raphe serotonin and dorsal raphe‐projecting prelimbic neurons) outcomes, which are sensitive to the dimension of control in males, were assessed. Despite successful acquisition of the controlling response, behavioural control did not mitigate dorsal raphe serotonergic activation and behavioural outcomes induced by tailshock, as it does in males. Moreover, behavioural control failed to selectively engage prelimbic cells that project to the dorsal raphe as in males. Pharmacological activation of the prelimbic cortex restored the stress‐buffering effects of control. Collectively, the data demonstrate stressor controllability phenomena are absent in females and that the protective prelimbic circuitry is present but not engaged. Reduced benefit from coping responses may represent a novel approach for understanding differential sex prevalence in stress‐related psychiatric disorders.     

Self-esteem, depression and hostility in Irish adolescents

A sample (n = 464) of school attending adolescents (age 12·3-16-years-old) were examined using self-report questionnaires (GHQ, Coopersmith, Birleson and HDHQ). They attended secondary schools representing middle and upper socio-economic groups and equal numbers were chosen from urban and rural locations. Comparisons were made between male and female from both urban and rural groups. The females from the rural setting were found to suffer significantly more depressive symptomatology (22%) and poor self-esteem (68%) than the remaining sample. Hostility was detected more in males from either location, directed in an extrapunitive manner demonstrating higher degrees of criticism of others and stronger urges to act out this hostility. The possible clinical relevance is discussed and suggestions regarding further work in this area are outlined.     

The role of family, religiosity, and behavior in adolescent gambling

Predictors of adolescent gambling behavior were examined in a sample of 436 males and females (ages 13–16). A biopsychosocial model was used to identify key variables that differentiate between non-gambling and gambling adolescents. Logistic regression found that, as compared to adolescent male non-gamblers, adolescent male gamblers were older, had more conflict in their family, were more likely to have used drugs, and have peers that gamble. Compared to adolescent female non-gamblers, adolescent female gamblers had more attention and thought problems, and scored higher on rule-breaking. For both males and females, religiosity was a protective factor against involvement in gambling. Some of the results are consistent with previous research, while some of these findings are unique to this study. These results shed light on factors to consider when developing programs to combat the negative impacts of gambling on adolescents.     

Behaviour, attention and cognition in severe dyslexia

Information about coexisting problems in dyslexia may be vital for diagnostic and remedial procedures. There are few studies in this area, and to our knowledge none for the students in focus in this study. They all have phonological deficits and severely impaired reading abilities, in spite of prolonged educational remediation. The aim was to assess if these students have more behavioural/emotional problems than normal reading students. A clinical sample of 70 students, 59 males and 11 females, were compared to a normal reading control group. The groups were pair-wise matched on age, gender, cognitive level, and whether they lived in rural or urban areas. Mean age for the two groups was 150 months, and mean IQ scores approximately 100. Information on behaviour/emotions was obtained from parents, teachers and participants by means of the Child Behavior Checklist, Teacher's Report Form and Youth Self Report. The dyslexia group showed significantly more problems in all areas than the controls. This was reported from all three groups of informants. Parents reported most problems, internalizing behaviour for more than 50% of the participants and total problem behaviour for nearly 45%. Significantly more attention problems were also reported for the dyslexia group from all informants. Parents reported that nearly half the group demonstrated attention problems. Both groups of participants had more problems reported for those with IQ scores of 100 or lower. Further research is needed in this area, but the results clearly indicate that identifying additional behavioural/emotional problems may be imperative for students with severe reading problems.