The relationship between coping styles, locus of control and problems of adolescents

Martina Hanžlová
Petr Macek

Abstract

The study is focused on relationships among frequencies of three coping styles (active, discounting, helplessness), perceived frequency of daily hassles, and perceived control beliefs. These relationships were analyzed separately for specific social context (school, parents, self, peer context, opposite sex, leisure time, future career, future expectations). A sample of 563 respondents (average age 15,6 years old) included students of different high schools. As results revealed, the significant relationships between the passive coping strategy (helplessness) and a low level of perceived control beliefs were found in regard to school problems, problems with parents, problems with peers, and to problems regarding future career. The active coping and the coping strategy of discounting were not related to perceived control beliefs. On the other hand, the strategy of helplessness as well as a using of the active coping (in regard to school problems, problems with the opposite sex, problems regarding future career and future expectations) were related to the frequency of perceived daily hassles.

(Fulltext in Czech)

Keywords

adolescence, coping, locus of control, problems of adolescents

Literature

Blatný, M., & Osecká, L. (1998). Zdroje sebehodnocení a životní spokojenosti: osobnost a strategie zvládání. Československá psychologie, 42, 5, 385–394.

Boekaerts, M. (1996). Coping with Stress in Childhood and Adolescence. In Zeidner, M., & Endler, N. S. (Eds.) (1996), Handbook of Coping: Theory, Research, and Applications. New York: Wiley, 452–484.

Coleman, J., & Hendry, L. B. (1999). The Nature of Adolescence. London: Routledge.

Flammer, A. (1995). Developmental Analysis of Control Beliefs. In A. Bandura (Ed.), Self-efficacy in changing societies. Cambridge: University Press, 69–113.

Grob, A., & Flammer, A. (1999). Macrosocial Context and Adolescent’s Per­ceived Control. In Alsaker, F. D., & Flammer, A. (Eds.), The Adolescent Experience. European and American Adolescents in the 1990s. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 99–113.

Grob, A., Stetsenko, A., Sabatier, C., Botcheva, L., & Macek, P. (1999). A Cross-National Model of Subjective Well-Being in Adolescence. In Alsaker, F. D.,& Flammer, A. (Eds.), The Adolescent Experience. European and American Adolescents in the 1990s. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 115–130.

Hanžlová, M., & Macek, P. (2008). Zvládací strategie a styly dospívajících. Psychológia a patopsychológia dieťaťa, 43, 1, 3–22.

Lazarus, R. S. (1993). From psychological stress to the emotions: A History of Changing Outlooks. Annual Review of Psychology, 44, s. 1–21.

Lovaš, L. (1997). Typológia stratégií sociálného správania v náročných životných situáciách. In Lovaš, L., & Výrost, J. (Eds), Stratégie správania v náročných životných situáciách. Spoločenskovedný ústav SAV, Košice, s. 47–60.

Macek, P. (1998a). Euronet Pilot Study: Posuzování vlastního vlivu v různých oblastech života adolescentů. Zprávy – Psychologický ústav AV ČR, 4, 8.

Macek, P. (1998b). Euronet Pilot Study: Reakce českých adolescentů na jejich obtíže a problémy. Zprávy – Psychologický ústav AV ČR, 4, 7.

Medveďová, Ľ. (1996). Štruktúry sebaocenenia a lokalizácia kontroly ako moderátory zvládania stresu u pubescentov. Psychológia a patopsychológia dieťaťa, 31, 2, s.120–134.

Nakonečný, M. (1997). Encyklopedie obecné psychologie. Academia, Praha.

Seiffge-Krenke, I. (1995). Stress, Coping and Relationships in Adolescence. Mahwah, NJ.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Show all Hide