Subjective Well-Being in Urban, Ethnically Diverse Adolescents The Role of Stress and Coping

This study examines stressors, general stress levels, coping strategies, and subjective well-being in a sample of 144 ethnically diverse, urban adolescents (mean age of 13). The most frequently reported stressors include the death of a family member, feeling socially isolated, family financial problems, injury of a family member, and parents arguing. The most common coping strategies are seeking support, acceptance, active coping, using distraction, and venting. Positive and negative affect are related to many coping strategies, but only humor buffered the relationship between stress and negative affect. Venting exacerbates the negative relationship between stress and life satisfaction. Implications for helping ethnically diverse, urban adolescents cope with stressors and maintain well-being are discussed.