Coping With Relationship Stressors: A Decade Review

This review identifies key issues in research on adolescent coping with stress with parents, friends, and romantic partners during the past decade. An analysis of 78 studies revealed findings on relationship stressors and the potential links between the use of different coping styles for different relationship types. Research has confirmed consistent gender differences in dealing with relationship stress and shown how individual factors (e.g., personality factors and attachment style) contribute to variations in stress perception and coping styles. Implications for prevention and intervention are identified and suggestions are made for future research, particularly with respect to complex and important developmental questions that have not yet been fully addressed.