Creative thinking as a predictor of school‐aged children's stress responses and coping abilities

Abstract

Abstract: Sixty 9–12 year‐old children were administered the verbal and figural portions of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT; Form A) and the Stress Impact Scale. An observational rating scale of coping behavior, the Coping Inventory, was also completed for each child in the school setting by trained observers, and the Stress Response Scale was completed by mothers. Age and several TTCT figural indicators of creative thinking, including fluency, originality, elaboration, and resistance to premature closure, were strongly associated with coping abilities. Resistance to premature closure as measured on the figural portion of the TTCT was most predictive of coping abilities and fewer overall problematic responses to stress as reported by mothers.