Life events, problems, stresses, and coping methods of adolescents

The purpose of this pilot study is to explore the life events, problems, stressful situations, and coping methods used by adolescents. A sample of 69 volunteer adolescents age 16-18 was obtained from a rural western Pennsylvania high school. The following instruments were administered: The Life Event Scale, senior high version (Coddington, 1972); Mooney Problem Checklist (1951); Stress Questionnaire (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984); and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (Folkman & Lazarus, 1988). Descriptive statistics revealed the most frequent life event listed was breaking up with a boyfriend/girlfriend; most frequent problems were related to adjustment to school; and most common stress situations related to family. Coping methods were delineated with a few gender differences noted. The most common method of coping was self-control. The adolescent population has many issues to deal with during a time of psychosocial and physiological change and vulnerability. The psychiatric-mental health nurse specialist could be a valuable asset to help school systems teach health promotion and prevention concepts about mental health, identify students at high risk for mental health disorders, and offer counseling and guidance for students and consultative services for both teachers and parents.