PECULIARITIES OF USING COPING STRATEGIES AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF STRESS IN YOUTH

Abstract

The article reveals the essence of individual coping strategies as an important component of stress-overcoming behavior. Scientific approaches to the phenomenon of stress, the causes of its occurrence and the specifics of the development of stress resistance are considered. The classification of personality coping strategies is considered. The structural and functional components, determinants of the manifestations of personality stress in the context of the relationship with leading coping strategies are clarified. The results of an empirical study were analyzed by using the diagnostic method «Stress Symptom Inventory» (T.A. Ivanchenko) and the «Ways of Coping Questionnaire» (WOCQ) test (R. Lazarus, S. Folkman). The psychological features of the use of coping strategies at different levels of stress in youth are revealed. It was found that the most common coping strategy among students is «seeking for social support», which indicates that in stressful situations they are not inclined to find internal resources to overcome them, but expect and seek for help from others. It was realised that the students with a high level of stress prefer such coping strategies as «confrontation», «seeking for social support»; with an average level of stress - «building an action plan», «positive reassessment», «accepting responsibility»; with a low level - «seeking for social support», «distancing», «avoidance-withdrawal». The role of the situational approach in the use of coping strategies is emphasized.