Personality regulators of coping behavior in adolescents

In this study we analyze coping behavior of adolescents using the COPE (Carver et al., 1989) and CISS (Endler, Parker, 1990) questionnaires in relation to personality dimensions (NEO-FFI STAI). The study discusses intersexual differences in freshmen and junior high school students in select personality dimensions and in preference of select coping strategies. The personality dimensions under study correlate with coping strategies to various degrees of significance. Neuroticism and anxiety facilitate the preference of maladaptive or ineffective strategies used in coping with stress. Extroversion is in closer relationship with searching for social support and positive reinterpretation, in other words reassessment. Neuroticism, anxiety and extroversion seem to be reliable predictors of coping strategies preference. Openness and agreeableness are in a weak relationship with coping strategies, and at the same time, they indicate a greater variability when comparing boys and girls. Conscientiousness seems to be the strongest predictor of coping behavior from NEO-FFI - persons with a high score have the tendency to prefer the strategies focused on the problem itself and individuals with low conscientiousness score, on the other hand, prefer maladaptive strategies.