Adolescents Coping with Poverty-Related Family Stress: Prospective Predictors of Coping and Psychological Symptoms

• NCJ Number: 214325
• Journal: Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 35 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2006 Pages: 57-70
• Author(s): Martha E. Wadsworth; Lauren E. Berger
• Date Published: February 2006
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study of 79 rural, low-income adolescents in New England examined associations among poverty-related family stress, youths' ways of coping with such stress, their involuntary responses to stress, and their adverse psychological symptoms.

Abstract

The authors of this study advise that interventions for youth involved in poverty-related family stress should focus on the management of involuntary responses to stress and constructive ways of relieving depressive/anxiety symptoms. The study found that the level of poverty-related family stress persisted over 8 months, as did the way that adolescents dealt with this stress through their involuntary reactions and conscious efforts to manage the stress. The nature of their psychological symptoms (depression/anxiety and aggression), level of stress, involuntary responses to stress, and ways of coping with the stress predicted changes in psychological symptoms over time. Poverty-related family stress predicted adolescent depression/anxiety but not aggression. There was a significant interaction between adolescents' disengagement coping (attempting to deny and suppress strong reactions to poverty-related family stress) and depression/anxiety. There was no interaction between disengagement coping and aggressive behavior. Involuntary responses to stress, namely aggression and anger, interfered with conscious efforts to manage the stress. The 79 adolescents, who were recruited from a middle school and high school in rural northern New England, were followed over 8 months. They completed the Responses to Stress Questionnaire at both the beginning and end of the 8 months. It measured the amount of stress, coping responses to stress and involuntary responses to stress, and emotional and behavioral problems. A series of multiple regressions were conducted to determine predictors of adolescents' emotional/behavioral symptoms and their coping strategies. 5 tables and 45 references