Coping With Divorce: A Study of Young Adolescents

Determined which coping methods adolescents used in response to parental divorce. Subjects were 39 mothers and their 12- to 16-year-olds. The mothers were divorced from 1 to 2 years and had custody of the adolescent. Three coping response methods were examined: active-cognitive, active-behavioral, and avoidance. Results indicated that the active-cognitive method was employed most often, followed by active-behavioral. Avoidance was used least often. Only avoidance coping was related to functioning; girls who reported more use of this method manifested more internalizing, externalizing, and physical problems. For boys, there was little evidence of a relationship between coping method and functioning.