Thesis
Uncontrollable stressors call for a plan B: Examining adolescents' desire for control, coping strategies, and adjustment
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2013
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/101076
Abstract
Repeated measures analyses results showed that, as hypothesized, as the situations became more uncontrollable, primary coping strategies decreased and secondary coping strategies and involuntary stress responses increased. Also, as hypothesized, correlations showed that desire for control was positively related to primary coping strategies in the uncontrollable situations, which were associated with greater anger, hostility, and/or depressive symptoms. Desire for control was positively associated with several involuntary negative reactions to stress (loss and rumination), as well as one secondary strategy (distraction). Loss, rumination, and distraction all were associated with negative adjustment. Acceptance, in contrast, was positively associated with psychological adjustment. Unrealistic control beliefs were not found to correlate with desire for control, coping strategies, or involuntary responses in either the largely uncontrollable or the uncontrollable situations. These results show that those high in desire for control are at risk for adjustment problems, as they tend to use primary coping strategies even after continuous defeat. Implications for the role of cognitive and coping processes in adolescent adjustment are discussed.
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Details
- Title
- Uncontrollable stressors call for a plan B
- Creators
- Kayla D. Weinmann
- Contributors
- Thomas George Power (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Human Development, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525027501842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis