NCJ Number
223830
Journal
Journal of Adolescence Volume: 31 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2008 Pages: 499-517
Date Published
August 2008
Length
19 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this study was to develop a coping typology to identify coping profile structures based on individual coping strategies used by minority adolescents.
Abstract
Using the latent profile analysis (LPA) to develop a coping typology, it revealed three distinct coping profiles. Two of the three were characterized according to the traditional coping dimensions of active and avoidant coping. However, the third class (low generic copers) was not represented by existing coping taxonomies. These low generic copers are experimenting with various coping methods but not employing these strategies to their fullest capacity. The results of the study support the notion that more than two typologies underlie the latent variable of coping, and that by identifying coping taxonomies of adolescents it can enhance our understanding of the complex range of coping processes they employ, as well as inform future risk-assessment and intervention protocols. Participants were 354 low-come high school students 14 to 18 years of age recruited from summer residential programs at San Diego State University. Tables, references