Purpose: To investigate age and gender effects on perceived interpersonal stress, coping with interpersonal stressors, and psychological adjustment among early and middle adolescents. Furthermore, the associations of perceived stress and coping with adjustment were examined.
Methods: The sample included 286 Austrian adolescents aged 10 to 14 years who attended the fifth to seventh grade. Self-report data on perceived stress, coping, as well as emotional and behavioral problems, were assessed.
Results: Fifth graders scored lower on maladaptive coping strategies and externalizing problems and reported more adaptive coping strategies than sixth and seventh graders. Compared with boys, girls evaluated a higher amount of perceived interpersonal stress and used more social support. Additionally, girls scored higher on maladaptive coping strategies and emotional distress and scored lower on distraction than boys. Problem-focused and emotion-focused coping were negatively related to emotional and behavioral problems, whereas perceived stress and maladaptive coping was positively associated with adjustment problems. These relations were stronger in female than in male adolescents.
Conclusions: Evaluating multidimensional coping patterns is supported. Particularly, implementation of primary preventive programs during late childhood is suggested.