Masters Degrees (Psychology)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Psychology) by Author "Barnes, Monique"

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    Substance abuse and psychological strengths as predictors of coping amongst adolescents
    (University of the Free State, 2015-08) Barnes, Monique; Botha, A.; Naidoo, P.
    English: Adolescence is a period of significant physical, cognitive and socio-emotional changes. In addition, South African adolescents are exposed to a variety of environmental stressors daily. These stressors include poverty, conflict within the family, and inequality in schooling environments. Furthermore, the lack of resources within the South African context increases stress. Coping effectively with these stressors is, therefore, imperative for South African adolescents’ well-being. Adolescents who lack adequate coping strategies are at risk for psychological and behavioural problems. Both substance abuse as a risk factor and psychological strengths as protective factors might influence an individual’s ability to cope. The aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate the variance in coping, caused by substance abuse and psychological strengths, amongst adolescents in the Free State. The role of gender on this relationship was also investigated. A quantitative, non-experimental, correlational design was used in this study. The measuring instruments included a biographical questionnaire, the Behavioural and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS 2) and the Coping Schema Inventory (R-CSI). The data were analysed by conducting a multivariate regression analysis. The results indicated that psychological strengths have a significant influence on adolescent coping. School engagement specifically relates to an increase in coping abilities amongst adolescents. Substance abuse, however, influenced only religious coping. Significant gender differences were reported for only religious coping. Furthermore, the results indicated low levels of psychological strengths and coping abilities for the adolescents in the Free State. These findings emphasise the importance of further research on the topic of adolescent coping and psychological strengths within the South African context, because it is evident that more knowledge and insight into the process of coping amongst adolescents is needed.