Abstract
Findings about the influence of coping on psychological adjustment in children with different medical conditions are inconsistent and often based on cross-sectional data. This prospective study evaluated the effect of various coping strategies on children’s post-traumatic stress symptoms and behavioral problems 1 month and 1 year after an accidental injury or the diagnosis of a chronic disease in 161 pediatric patients 6–15 years of age. Only minor positive effects of coping on psychosocial adjustment were found: Religious coping reduced post-traumatic stress symptoms. Active coping strategies had negative effects on internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems. Support seeking strategies, distraction, and avoidance had no impact on long-term psychosocial adjustment
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Lazarus RS., Folkman S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. Springer, New York
Rudolph KD., Dennig MD., Weisz JR. (1995). Determinants and consequences of children’s coping in the medical setting: Conceptualization, review, and critique. Psychol Bull 118:328–357
Wallander JL., Varni JW. (1992). In: Greca AML., Siegel LJ., Wallander JL., Walker CE (eds). Stress and Coping in Child Health. The Guilford Press, New York, pp. 279–298
Landolt MA., Vollrath M., Ribi K. (2002). Predictors of coping strategy selection in paediatric patients. Acta Paediatr 91:954–960
Spirito A., Stark LJ., Tyc VL. (1994). Stressors and coping strategies described during hospitalization by chronically ill children. J Clin Child Psychol 23:314–322
Compas BE. (1987). Coping with stress during childhood and adolescence. Psychol Bull 101:393–403
Stallard P., Velleman R., Langsford J., Baldwin S. (2001). Coping and psychological distress in children involved in road traffic accidents. Br J Clin Psychol 40:197–208
Tyc VL., Mulhern RK., Jayawardene D., Fairclough D. (1995). Chemotherapy-induced nausea and emesis in pediatric cancer patients: An analysis of coping strategies. J Pain Symptom Manage 10:338–347
Grey M., Cameron ME., Thurber FW. (1991). Coping and adaptation in children with diabetes. Nurs Res 40:144–149
Reid JR., Dubow EF., Carey TC. (1995). Developmental and situational differences in coping among children and adolescents with diabetes. J Appl Dev Psychol 16:529–554
Frank NC., Blount RL., Brown RT. (1997). Attributions, coping, and adjustment in children with cancer. J Pediatr Psychol 22: 563–576
Suls J., Fletcher B. (1985). The relative efficacy of avoidant and nonavoidant coping strategies: A meta-analysis. Health Psychol 4:249–288
Ayers TS., Sandler IN., West SG., Roosa MW. (1996). A dispositional and situational assessment of children’s coping: Testing alternative models of coping. J Pers 64:923–958
Diener E., Suh EM., Lucas RE., Smith HL. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychol Bull 125:276–302
Frederick CJ., Pynoos R., Nader K. (1992). Childhood Posttraumatic Stress Reaction Index—A Copyrighted Instrument. University of California, Los Angeles
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. Washington, DC: Author, 1994
Pynoos RS., Goenjian A., Tashjain M., et al. (1993). Post-traumatic stress reaction in children after the 1988 Armenian earthquake. Br J Psychiatr 163:239–247
Landolt MA., Vollrath M., Ribi K., Gnehm HE., Sennhauser FH. (2003). Incidence and associations of child and parental posttraumatic stress symptoms in pediatric patients. J Child Psychol Psychiatr 44:1199–1207
Achenbach TM. (1991). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist 4–18 and 1991 Profile. University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
Doepfner M, Plück J, Bölte S, Lenz K, Melchers P, Heim K: Elternfragebogen über das Verhalten von Kindern und Jugendlichen. Deutsche Bearbeitung der Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/4–18). Köln: KJFD, 1998.
Sandler IN., Tein JY., West SG. (1994). Coping, stress, and the psychological symptoms of children of divorce: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study. Child Dev 65:1744–1763
Spirito A., Stark LJ., Williams C. (1988). Development of a brief coping checklist for use with pediatric populations. J Pediatr Psychol 13: 555–574
Kazak AE., Barakat LP., Meeske K., et al. (1997). Posttraumatic stress, family functioning and social support in survivors of childhood cancers. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatr 37:823–831
Boekaerts M., Roeder I. (1999). Stress, coping and adjustment in children with a chronic disease: A review of the literature. Disabil Rehabil 21:311–337
Aldwin CM., Revenson TA. (1987). Does coping help? A reexamination of the relation between coping and mental health. J Pers and Soc Psychol 53:337–348
Weisz JR., McCabe MA., Denning MD. (1994). Primary and secondary control among children undergoing medical procedures: Adjustment as a function of coping style. J Consult Clin Psychol 62:324–332
Landolt MA., Vollrath M., Ribi K., Timm K., Sennhauser FH., Gnehm HE. (2003). Inzidenz und Verlauf posttraumatischer Belastungsreaktionen nach Verkehrsunfällen im Kindesalter. Kindheit und Entwicklung 12:184–192
Stallard P., Velleman R., Baldwin S. (1999). Psychological screening of children for post-traumatic stress disorder. J Child Psychol Psychiatr 40:1075–1082
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zehnder, D., Prchal, A., Vollrath, M. et al. Prospective Study of the Effectiveness of Coping in Pediatric Patients. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 36, 351–368 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-005-0007-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-005-0007-0