The association between playfulness and coping in adolescents

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Adolescent Development
• Occupational Therapy

Background:

• Playfulness is a key developmental factor in adolescence.
• Understanding the relationship between playfulness and coping is crucial for therapeutic interventions.
• Adolescents with severe emotional disturbance (SED) may exhibit different playfulness and coping patterns compared to typically developing (TD) peers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between playfulness and coping skills in adolescent males.
• To compare playfulness and coping skills between typically developing (TD) adolescents and those with severe emotional disturbance (SED).

Main Methods:

• Study included 30 male adolescents (16 TD, 14 SED) aged 14-17.
• Participants completed the Test of Playfulness (ToP) and the Coping Inventory.
• Point biserial correlations were used to analyze group differences and relationships.

Main Results:

• A significant positive correlation (r = .785; p < .01) was found between playfulness and coping skills.
• TD adolescents demonstrated higher playfulness (r = .889; p < .0001) and more effective coping skills (r = .873; p < .0001) than SED adolescents.
• The results indicate distinct differences in playfulness and coping between the two groups.

Conclusions:

• Playfulness is positively associated with adaptive coping mechanisms in adolescent males.
• Findings support the use of play-based interventions in occupational therapy to improve adolescent coping flexibility.
• Interventions focusing on playfulness may enhance problem-solving and goal-achievement abilities in adolescents, particularly those with SED.