Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Prospective Study of the Effectiveness of Coping in Pediatric Patients

  • Published:
Child Psychiatry and Human Development Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Findings about the influence of coping on psychological adjustment in children with different medical conditions are inconsistent and often based on cross-sectional data. This prospective study evaluated the effect of various coping strategies on children’s post-traumatic stress symptoms and behavioral problems 1 month and 1 year after an accidental injury or the diagnosis of a chronic disease in 161 pediatric patients 6–15 years of age. Only minor positive effects of coping on psychosocial adjustment were found: Religious coping reduced post-traumatic stress symptoms. Active coping strategies had negative effects on internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems. Support seeking strategies, distraction, and avoidance had no impact on long-term psychosocial adjustment

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Lazarus RS., Folkman S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  2. Rudolph KD., Dennig MD., Weisz JR. (1995). Determinants and consequences of children’s coping in the medical setting: Conceptualization, review, and critique. Psychol Bull 118:328–357

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Wallander JL., Varni JW. (1992). In: Greca AML., Siegel LJ., Wallander JL., Walker CE (eds). Stress and Coping in Child Health. The Guilford Press, New York, pp. 279–298

  4. Landolt MA., Vollrath M., Ribi K. (2002). Predictors of coping strategy selection in paediatric patients. Acta Paediatr 91:954–960

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Spirito A., Stark LJ., Tyc VL. (1994). Stressors and coping strategies described during hospitalization by chronically ill children. J Clin Child Psychol 23:314–322

    Google Scholar 

  6. Compas BE. (1987). Coping with stress during childhood and adolescence. Psychol Bull 101:393–403

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Stallard P., Velleman R., Langsford J., Baldwin S. (2001). Coping and psychological distress in children involved in road traffic accidents. Br J Clin Psychol 40:197–208

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Tyc VL., Mulhern RK., Jayawardene D., Fairclough D. (1995). Chemotherapy-induced nausea and emesis in pediatric cancer patients: An analysis of coping strategies. J Pain Symptom Manage 10:338–347

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Grey M., Cameron ME., Thurber FW. (1991). Coping and adaptation in children with diabetes. Nurs Res 40:144–149

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Reid JR., Dubow EF., Carey TC. (1995). Developmental and situational differences in coping among children and adolescents with diabetes. J Appl Dev Psychol 16:529–554

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Frank NC., Blount RL., Brown RT. (1997). Attributions, coping, and adjustment in children with cancer. J Pediatr Psychol 22: 563–576

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Suls J., Fletcher B. (1985). The relative efficacy of avoidant and nonavoidant coping strategies: A meta-analysis. Health Psychol 4:249–288

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Ayers TS., Sandler IN., West SG., Roosa MW. (1996). A dispositional and situational assessment of children’s coping: Testing alternative models of coping. J Pers 64:923–958

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Diener E., Suh EM., Lucas RE., Smith HL. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychol Bull 125:276–302

    Google Scholar 

  15. Frederick CJ., Pynoos R., Nader K. (1992). Childhood Posttraumatic Stress Reaction Index—A Copyrighted Instrument. University of California, Los Angeles

    Google Scholar 

  16. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. Washington, DC: Author, 1994

  17. Pynoos RS., Goenjian A., Tashjain M., et al. (1993). Post-traumatic stress reaction in children after the 1988 Armenian earthquake. Br J Psychiatr 163:239–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Landolt MA., Vollrath M., Ribi K., Gnehm HE., Sennhauser FH. (2003). Incidence and associations of child and parental posttraumatic stress symptoms in pediatric patients. J Child Psychol Psychiatr 44:1199–1207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Achenbach TM. (1991). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist 4–18 and 1991 Profile. University of Vermont, Burlington, VT

    Google Scholar 

  20. Doepfner M, Plück J, Bölte S, Lenz K, Melchers P, Heim K: Elternfragebogen über das Verhalten von Kindern und Jugendlichen. Deutsche Bearbeitung der Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/4–18). Köln: KJFD, 1998.

  21. Sandler IN., Tein JY., West SG. (1994). Coping, stress, and the psychological symptoms of children of divorce: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study. Child Dev 65:1744–1763

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Spirito A., Stark LJ., Williams C. (1988). Development of a brief coping checklist for use with pediatric populations. J Pediatr Psychol 13: 555–574

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Kazak AE., Barakat LP., Meeske K., et al. (1997). Posttraumatic stress, family functioning and social support in survivors of childhood cancers. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatr 37:823–831

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Boekaerts M., Roeder I. (1999). Stress, coping and adjustment in children with a chronic disease: A review of the literature. Disabil Rehabil 21:311–337

    Google Scholar 

  25. Aldwin CM., Revenson TA. (1987). Does coping help? A reexamination of the relation between coping and mental health. J Pers and Soc Psychol 53:337–348

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Weisz JR., McCabe MA., Denning MD. (1994). Primary and secondary control among children undergoing medical procedures: Adjustment as a function of coping style. J Consult Clin Psychol 62:324–332

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Landolt MA., Vollrath M., Ribi K., Timm K., Sennhauser FH., Gnehm HE. (2003). Inzidenz und Verlauf posttraumatischer Belastungsreaktionen nach Verkehrsunfällen im Kindesalter. Kindheit und Entwicklung 12:184–192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Stallard P., Velleman R., Baldwin S. (1999). Psychological screening of children for post-traumatic stress disorder. J Child Psychol Psychiatr 40:1075–1082

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychosomatics and Psychiatry, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Steinwiesstrasse 75, CH-8032, Zurich, Switzerland

    Daniel Zehnder MA., Alice Prchal MA. & Markus A. Landolt PhD.

  2. Institute of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Margarete Vollrath PhD.

Authors
  1. Daniel Zehnder MA.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alice Prchal MA.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Margarete Vollrath PhD.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Markus A. Landolt PhD.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Markus A. Landolt PhD..

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zehnder, D., Prchal, A., Vollrath, M. et al. Prospective Study of the Effectiveness of Coping in Pediatric Patients. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 36, 351–368 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-005-0007-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-005-0007-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation