Children's Coping The Development of Secondary Control
Date of Award
2007
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Social Sciences
First Advisor
Barton, Michelle
Keywords
Secondary Control, Children Coping, Stress
Area of Concentration
Psychology
Abstract
Past research on coping skills has indicated a developmental shift in which children switch from using mainly primary control (trying to change the stressful circumstances) to using secondary control (trying to adjust to circumstances). Where this developmental change occurs was explored by asking 5- to 8-year-olds to give coping strategies in response to hypothetical stressful situations, within both open-ended and forced choice assessments. Seven- and 8-year-olds generated more secondary control in response to both assessments than did 5- and 6-year-olds. Six- and 7-yearolds were more likely to choose secondary control when given the option of using it within the forced choice scenarios. However, 5-year-olds showed less of a difference between the two assessments and a large variability in scores portraying a developmental transition into the generation of secondary control. These results extend previous findings on young children, illustrating that they are able to recognize and understand the utility of secondary control coping strategies. The implications for possible intervention programs for teaching secondary control methods to younger children are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Brown, Ida, "Children's Coping The Development of Secondary Control" (2007). Theses & ETDs. 3753.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/3753
Rights
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