Psychological Adjustment and Coping Styles of Urban African American High School Students

✍ Scribed by Robbie J. Steward; Han Ik Jo; Darrick Murray; William Fitzgerald; Douglas Neil; Frank Fear; Martin Hill

• Book ID: 102871759
• Publisher: American Counseling Association
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 751 KB
• Volume: 26
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0883-8534
• DOI: 10.1002/j.2161-1912.1998.tb00188.x

✦ Synopsis

In a study of African American (n = 208) urban high school students, grade point average (GPA) and specific strategies for coping with day-to-day stressors were found to be significantly related to psychological adjustment. Students who had higher GPAs tended to use family members as a means of solving problems, minimized problems by the use of humor, and used relaxation activities less often were found to have the most positive psychological adjustment, as measured by the index score of the Affects Balance Scale (ABS). Reported negative affect was not found to be significantly influenced by coping style, whereas positive affect was.

Many social scientists, politicians, and the media tend to paint a bleak picture for youth living in predominantly Black urban settings in this country (Barbarin, 1993). Poverty, academic failure, early death due to poor health care and violence, drug abuse and addiction, high unemployment rates, teenage pregnancy, gangs, and high crime rates are some of the conditions highlighted to describe the Robbie J. Stewcud is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Educafion, Ban Zk Jo is a doctoml student ~JI counselor education, Douglas Neil is a doctoral student in counseling psychology, and Martin Hill Ls a doctoral student in counseling psychology, all at Michigan State University, East Lansing. Darrick M w m g is a mental health counselor and an instructor at Lansing Community College, Lansing, Michigan. Wlliam Pitzgerafd is currently residing in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Frank Fear is a technical support staff member at Datamatic. Orlando, Florida.