A Descriptive Study of Urban Mexican American Adolescents’ Perceived Stress and Coping

Abstract

In this descriptive study, the perceived stress, coping, and coping effectiveness of 158 low-income, urban, Mexican American 10th graders were assessed using open-ended and structured interview procedures. A total of 95% of participants were able to identify a difficult life event stressor and at least one way they coped with this event. Participants, particularly females, most frequently identified family-related events as being the most difficult recent life event stressor. To manage stress, participants most commonly reported using active coping strategies, followed by family social support, self-reliance, and behavioral avoidance. Females were more likely than males to seek family support and to vent emotions when coping with stress. Participants were most likely to use active, problem-focused strategies when confronting school-and personal-related stressors, and to find coping most helpful when dealing with stressful school events. Findings are discussed in terms of the urban, ethnic-minority backgrounds of participants and directions for further research.