Development of Coping Strategies From Childhood to Adolescence: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Trends

Abstract

Extensive research exists on coping in children and adolescents. However, developmental issues have only recently started to receive more attention. The present study examined age differences and developmental changes in six coping strategies (social support seeking, problem solving, avoidant coping, palliative emotion regulation, anger-related emotion regulation, and media use) assessed by a coping questionnaire (German Stress and Coping Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents, SSKJ 3–8; Lohaus, Eschenbeck, Kohlmann, & Klein-Heßling, 2006) in middle/late childhood and early adolescence. At the initial assessment, 917 children from grades 3 to 7 (age range 8–15 years) were included (cross-sectional sample). Three cohorts (grades 3–5 at baseline) were traced longitudinally over 1½ years with four assessments (longitudinal sample: n = 388). The cross-sectional coping data showed significant effects for grade level in four coping strategies. Older children scored higher in problem solving and media use, and lower in avoidant coping. Seventh graders scored lower than fourth and fifth graders in social support seeking. Longitudinal data confirmed time effects and cohort effects indicating developmental changes. Increases over time were found for problem solving and media use; decreases were found for avoidant coping and anger-related emotion regulation. For social support seeking, an increase within the youngest cohort (grades 3–5) was found. Developmental trends (in cross-sectional and longitudinal data), with especially strong increases for problem solving or declines in avoidant coping in the youngest cohort, differed for the two studied stressful situations (social, academic) but were independent of the child’s gender. To conclude, particularly in the age range of 9–11 years relevant developmental changes toward a more active coping seem to appear.