Adolescent Adjustment and Coping Strategies

ABSTRACT This study examines the relation between psychosocial adjustment and coping strategies among college freshmen. Three hundred thirty‐one college students completed the Inventory of Psychosocial Development (IPD; Constantinople, 1969) and the Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences (ACOPE; Patterson & McCubbin, 1987) inventory. Factor analysis of the ACOPE scales revealed two factors interpreted to represent the coping strategies of “salutary effort” and “stress palliation.” For each subject a relative salutary effort score was calculated to reflect the proportion of coping efforts ascribable to mature, salutary coping efforts. Optimal adjustment was associated with adolescents whose reported means of dealing with tension reflected a high proportion of salutary effort. These findings, which support the notion of a covariation between styles of coping and psychological adjustment among adolescents, are discussed in light of psychosocial development, coping, and methodological issues related to research on coping and adjustment.