Coping resources, perfectionism, and academic performance among adolescents

Abstract

Research finds that the availability of specific coping resources can alleviate the more harmful effects of stress among adolescents. Although studies have investigated the relationship between coping resources and various outcomes among general samples of youth, no research has focused on adolescents who report high personal standards in comparison to their peers. Research in this area is important considering that such youth often report high stress when attempting to meet their personal standards, particularly as these standards pertain to their academic environment. In this study, 166 youth were administered the Coping Resources Inventory Scales for Educational Enhancement (Curlette et al., 1993) and the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised (Slaney, Rice, Mobley, Trippi, & Ashby, 2001). Self-reported grade-point average (GPA) also was collected. Results found that holding high standards was positively associated with specific coping resources, and that confidence in academic pursuits mediated the relationship between perfectionistic tendencies and GPA. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 613–622, 2006.