Adolescent Coping: Exploring Adolescents' Leisure-Based Responses to Stress

Abstract

Adolescents often perceive aspects of their lives to be stressful, and their ability to manage stress has important health and risk behavior consequences. This study integrated recent developments in coping theory and adolescent leisure research to examine the relationship between adolescents' coping goals (active/accommodation vs. avoidance) and the types of leisure activities (structured vs. unstructured) adolescents engage in when they are stressed. A sample of adolescents (ages 12-14; N = 152) was drawn from a rural middle school in the northeastern United States. Results indicated that an active/accommodative coping goal orientation predicted involvement in structured leisure activities, including shared family time and activities. Counter to expectations, an active/accommodative goal orientation also predicted engagement in unstructured activities. An avoidant coping goal significantly predicted engagement in TV/music. The only structured activities to be positively predicted by an active/accommodative coping goal and negatively predicted by an avoidance coping goal were family-based activities.