Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Is Life Satisfaction an Antecedent to Coping Behaviors for Adolescents?

  • Empirical Research
  • Published:
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Adolescence is a critical developmental stage to develop coping behaviors. However, little is known about the longitudinal relations between coping behaviors and subjective well-being factors in adolescents. Situated within a positive psychology framework and supported by well-being theories, this study aims to investigate if life satisfaction is an antecedent to predict four specific types of coping behaviors (two approach coping: social support seeking and problem solving; and two avoidant coping: internalizing and externalizing coping behaviors) in early adolescents? A cross-lagged panel design was applied with three-wave data with six months apart between each wave. At the baseline, a total of 897 adolescents participated (52.1% female) in the study with 451 students in the 7th grade and 446 students in the 8th grade. The majority of the student body were European American (58.5%), followed by African American (29.4%) and a small percentage of other minority groups (2.9% Asian or Pacific Islander, 1.4% Hispanic, 1.1% Native American, and 6.3% other racial groups). Results showed that life satisfaction predicted all coping behaviors in the expected directions across at least one 6-month period between three waves. Reciprocal relations were found between life satisfaction and social support seeking and also between life satisfaction and internalizing coping behaviors from Time 1 to Time 2. Overall the results support that life satisfaction can be an antecedent to coping behaviors. Gender differences were further tested through multi-group comparison and the major findings include: (1) life satisfaction predicted all coping behaviors for females but only two approach coping behaviors for males from Time 1 to Time 2; (2) life satisfaction predicted two coping behaviors (social support seeking, externalizing coping behaviors) across Time 2 and Time 3 for females only. Taken together, life satisfaction appeared to be a more robust predictor of coping behaviors in female adolescents. Research implications are discussed.

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

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Integrative guide for the 1991 CBCL/4-8, YSR, and TRF Profiles. Burlington: University of Vermont Department of Psychiatry.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). Washington D.C: American Psychiatric Publication.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anniko, M. K., Boersma, K., & Tillfors, M. (2019). Sources of stress and worry in the development of stress-related mental health problems: a longitudinal investigation from early- to mid-adolescence. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 32(2), 155–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Antaramian, S. P., Huebner, E. S., Hills, K. J., & Valois, R. F. (2010). A dual-factor model of mental health: Toward a more comprehensive understanding of youth functioning. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80, 462–472.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Antaramian, S., Kamble, S. V., & Huebner, E. S. (2016). Life satisfaction and coping in Hindu adolescents in India. Journal of Happiness Studies, 17(4), 1703–1717.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayers, T. S., Sandler, I. N., & Twohey, J. L. (1998). Conceptualization and measurement of coping in children and adolescents. In: T. Ollendick (Ed.). Advances in clinical child psychology (pp. 243–301). Boston, MA: Springer.

  • Bird, J. M., & Markle, R. S. (2012). Subjective well‐being in school environments: promoting positive youth development through evidence‐based assessment and intervention. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82(1), 61.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Causey, D. L., & Dubow, E. F. (1992). Development of a self-report coping measure for elementary school children. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 21, 47–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheung, G. W., & Rensvold, R. B. (2002). Evaluating goodness-of-fit indexes for testing measurement invariance. Structural equation modeling, 9(2), 233–255.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cicognani, E. (2011). Coping strategies with minor stressors in adolescence: Relationships with social support, self‐efficacy, and psychological well‐being. Journal of Applied social psychology, 41(3), 559–578.

    Google Scholar 

  • Compas, B. E In: In E. A. Skinner, M. J. Zimmer-Gembeck, (eds) (2009). Coping, regulation, and development during childhood and adolescence. Copi ng and the development of regulation. New directions in child and adolescent development. Vol. 124. (pp. 87–99). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

  • Compas, B. E., Connor-Smith, J. K., Saltzman, H., Thomsen, A. H., & Wadsworth, M. E. (2001). Coping with stress during childhood and adolescence: Problems, progress, and potential in theory and research. Psychological Bulletin, 127, 87–127.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cotello, E. J., Mustillo, S., Erkanli, A., Keeler, G., & Angold, A. (2003). Prevalence and development of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60(8), 837–844.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeLay, D., Martin, C. L., Cook, R. E., & Hanish, L. D. (2018). The influence of peers during adolescence: does homophobic name calling by peers change gender identity? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 47(3), 636–649.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological bulletin, 95(3), 542.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Kesebir, P., & Lucas, R. (2008). Benefits of accounts of well‐being—For societies and for psychological science. Applied Psychology, 57, 37–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eschenbeck, H., Kohlmann, C. W., & Lohaus, A. (2007). Gender differences in coping strategies in children and adolescents. Journal of Individual Differences, 28, 18–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eschenbeck, H., Schmid, S., Schröder, I., Wasserfall, N., & Kohlmann, C. W. (2018). Development of coping strategies from childhood to adolescence: cross-sectional and longitudinal trends. European Journal of Health Psychology, 25(1), 18–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, D. R.(1994). Enhancing quality of life in the population at large. Social Indicators Research, 33(1–3), 47–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American psychologist, 56(3), 218.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Froh, J. J., Bono, G., Fan, J., Emmons, R. A., Henderson, K., Harris, C., & Wood, A. M. (2014). Nice thinking! An educational intervention that teaches children to think gratefully. School Psychology Review, 43, 132–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frydenberg, E., & Lewis, R. (2009). Relations among well-being, avoidant coping, and active coping in a large sample of Australian adolescents. Psychological reports, 104(3), 745–758.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fullchange, A., Furlong, M. J., Gilman, R., & Huebner, E. S. (2017). Evidence-based interventions for promoting subjective well-being in children and adolescents. In T. A. Lea (Ed.). Handbook of evidence-based interventions for children and adolescents, pp. 283–290. Springer Publishing.

  • Gillham, J., Adams-Deutsch, Z., Werner, J., Reivich, K., Coulter-Heindl, V., Linkins, M., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Character strengths predict subjective well-being during adolescence. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 6, 31–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilman, R., & Huebner, E. S. (2006). Characteristics of adolescents who report very high life satisfaction. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35(3), 293–301.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hampel, P., & Petermann, F. (2005). Age and gender effects on coping in children and adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34, 73–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hampel, P., & Petermann, F. (2006). Perceived stress, coping, and adjustment in adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 38, 409–415.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Huebner, E. (1991). Initial development of the Student’s Life satisfaction scale. School Psychology International, 12, 231–240.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ibrahim, S., Smith, P., & Muntaner, C. (2009). A multi-group cross-lagged analyses of work stressors and health using Canadian National sample. Social science & medicine, 68(1), 49–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jayawickreme, E., Forgeard, M. J., & Seligman, M. E. (2012). The engine of well-being. Review of General Psychology, 16(4), 327–342.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, X., Lyons, M. D., & Huebner, E. S. (2016). An examination of the reciprocal relations between life satisfaction and social problem solving in early adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 53, 141–151.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, M. M., Tyrka, A. R., Price, L. H., & Carpenter, L. L. (2008). Sex differences in the use of coping strategies: predictors of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Depression and Anxiety, 25(10), 839–846.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kochenderfer-Ladd, B., & Skinner, K. (2002). Children’s coping strategies: moderators of the effects of peer victimization? Developmental Psychology, 38(2), 267.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kort-Butler, L. A. (2009). Coping styles and sex differences in depressive symptoms and delinquent behavior. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 38(1), 122–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kraaij, V., Garnefski, N., de Wilde, E. J., Dijkstra, A., Gebhardt, W., Maes, S., & Ter Doest, L. (2003). Negative life events and depressive symptoms in late adolescence: bonding and cognitive coping as vulnerability factors? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 32(3), 185–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York, NY: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, R., & Frydenberg, E. (2004a). Thriving, surviving or going under: Which coping strategies relate to which outcomes? In L. Frydenberg (Ed.). Thriving, surviving, or going under: coping with everyday lives (pp. 1–15). Greenwich: Information Age Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, R., & Frydenberg, E. (2004b). Students’ self-evaluations of their coping: How well do they do it? (2004). In L. Frydenberg (Ed.), Thriving, surviving, or going under: coping with everyday lives (pp. 16–34). Greenwich: Information Age Publishing.

  • Lewis, A. D., Huebner, E. S., Malone, P. S., & Valois, R. F. (2011). Life satisfaction and student engagement in adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40(3), 249–262.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li, C. E., DiGiuseppe, R., & Froh, J. (2006). The roles of sex, gender, and coping in adolescent depression. Adolescence, 41, 409–415.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Little, R. J. A., & Rubin, D. B. (1987). Statistical Analysis with Missing Data. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lyons, M. D., Huebner, E. S., & Hills, K. J. (2016). Relations among personality characteristics, environmental events, coping behavior and adolescents’ life satisfaction. Journal of Happiness Studies, 17, 1033–1050.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., & Diener, E. (2005). The benefits of frequent positive affect: does happiness lead to success? Psychological bulletin, 131(6), 803.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Merikangas, K. R., He, J. P., Burstein, M., Swanson, S. A., Avenevoli, S., Cui, L., & Swendsen, J. (2010). Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in US adolescents: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication–Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(10), 980–989.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mendle, J., & Koch, M. K. (2019). The psychology of puberty: what aren’t we studying that we should? Child Development Perspectives, 3(3), 166–172.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moos, R. H. (1995). Development and applications of new measures of life stressors, social resources, and coping responses. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 11(1), 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore, S. A., Dowdy, E., Nylund-Gibson, K., & Furlong, M. J. (2019). An empirical approach to complete mental health classification in adolescents. School Mental Health: A Multidisciplinary Research and Practice Journal, 11(3), 1–16.

  • Murberg, T. A., & Bru, E. (2005). The role of coping styles as predictors of depressive symptoms among adolescents: a prospective study. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 46(4), 385–393.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (2017). Mplus user’s guide. 7th Ed. Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén.

    Google Scholar 

  • Proctor, C., Linley, P. A., & Maltby, J. (2010). Very happy youths: benefits of very high life satisfaction among adolescents. Social indicators research, 98(3), 519–532.

    Google Scholar 

  • Proctor, C., Tsukayama, E., Wood, A. M., Maltby, J., Eades, J. F., & Linley, P. A. (2011). Strengths gym: the impact of a character strengths-based intervention on the life satisfaction and well-being of adolescents. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 6, 377–388.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saha, R., Huebner, E. S., Hills, K. J., Malone, P. S., & Valois, R. F. (2014). Social coping and life satisfaction in adolescents. Social Indicators Research, 115, 241–252.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sawyer, M. G., Pfeiffer, S., & Spence, S. H. (2009). Life events, coping and depressive symptoms among young adolescents: A one-year prospective study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 117(1–2), 48–54.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: an introduction. American Psychologists, 55(1), 5–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seligman, M. E. P., Reivich, K., Jaycox, L., Gillham, J., & Kidman, A. D. (1995). The optimistic child. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seiffge-Krenke, I., Aunola, K., & Nurmi, J. E. (2009). Changes in stress perception and coping during adolescence: the role of situational and personal factors. Child Development, 80, 259–279.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seiffge-Krenke, I., & Stemmler, M. (2002). Factors contributing to gender differences in depressive symptoms: a test of three developmental models. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 31(6), 405–417.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shoshani, A., & Slone, M. (2013). Middle school transition from the strengths perspective: young adolescents’ character strengths, subjective well-being, and school adjustment. Journal of Happiness Studies, 14(4), 1163–1181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, E. A., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2007). The development of coping. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 119–144.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sontag, L. M., & Graber, J. A. (2010). Coping with perceived peer stress: gender-specific and common pathways to symptoms of psychopathology. Developmental Psychology, 46(6), 1605–1620.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stange, J., Hamilton, J., Abramson, L., & Alloy, L. (2014). A vulnerability-stress examination of response styles theory in adolescence: stressors, sex differences, and symptom specificity. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 43(5), 813–827.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suldo, S. M., & Huebner, E. S. (2004). Does life satisfaction moderate the effects of stressful life events on psychopathological behavior during adolescence? School Psychology Quarterly, 19(2), 93–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wadsworth, M. E. (2015). Development of maladaptive coping: a functional adaptation to chronic, uncontrollable stress. Child development perspectives, 9(2), 96–100.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Waters, L. (2011). A review of school-based positive psychology interventions. The Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 28(2), 75–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weber, M., Ruch, W., & Huebner, E. S. (2013). Adaptation and initial validation of the German version of the Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (German SLSS). European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 29(2), 105–112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zahn-Waxler, C., Shirtcliff, E. A., & Marceau, K. (2008). Disorders of childhood and adolescence: gender and psychopathology. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 4, 275–303.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zimmer‐Gembeck, M. J. (2016). Peer rejection, victimization, and relational self‐system processes in adolescence: toward a transactional model of stress, coping, and developing sensitivities. Child Development Perspectives, 10(2), 122–127.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., & Skinner, E. A. (2016). The development of coping: Implications for psychopathology and resilience. In D. Cicchetti (Ed.). Developmental psychopathology: Risk, resilience, and intervention (pp. 485–545). Hoboken, NJ, US: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Download references

Authors’ Contributions

X.J. designed the study and drafted the Introduction and the Discussion; L.F. performed the statistical analysis and drafted the Method and the Results; M.L. helped draft the Discussion and reviewed drafts of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Data Sharing and Declaration

The datasets analyzed during the current study are not publicly available but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Memphis, 400 Innovation Dr., Memphis, TN, 38152, USA

    Xu Jiang

  2. Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, AS8 #07-01, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore, 119260, Singapore

    Lue Fang

  3. Department of Human Services, University of Virginia, 405 Emmet St., Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA

    Michael D. Lyons

Authors
  1. Xu Jiang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lue Fang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael D. Lyons
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xu Jiang.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

This study used archival data and thus no human participants were involved. Ethical approval was obtained to conduct the study.

Informed Consent

This study used archival data and thus informed consent was not applied.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jiang, X., Fang, L. & Lyons, M.D. Is Life Satisfaction an Antecedent to Coping Behaviors for Adolescents?. J Youth Adolescence 48, 2292–2306 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01136-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01136-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation