Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T18:06:00.422Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Depressed mood amongst adolescents: The roles of perceived control and coping style

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2016

Troy Speirs*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Education, University of Western Sydney, Macarthur
Andrew J. Martin
Affiliation:
Faculty of Education, University of Western Sydney, Macarthur
*
Troy Speirs, Wentworth Area Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, PO Box 94, Penrith 2751. E-mail:[email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The present study explores the link between perceived control (locus of causation and perceived competence), self-reported coping style (productive and nonproductive coping), and depressed mood amongst a sample of high school students. Internal locus beliefs positively predicted productive coping and negatively predicted non-productive coping. Perceived competence positively predicted productive coping and negatively predicted depressed mood. Non-productive coping positively predicted depressed mood. Findings are discussed with a focus on the implications for counselling professionals in promoting adolescent resilience to depression..

Type
Research papers
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1999

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aiken, L.S., & West, S.G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Amirkhan, J.H. (1990). Applying attribution theory to the study of stress and coping. In Graham, S. & Folkes, V.S. (Eds). Attribution theory: Applications to achievement, mental health, and interpersonal conflict. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Band, E.B., & Weisz, J.R. (1988). How to feel better when it feels bad: Children's perspectives on coping with everyday stress. Developmental Psychology, 15, 247253.Google Scholar
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioural change. Psychological Review, 84, 191215.Google Scholar
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-Efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman & Co.Google Scholar
Bandura, A., & Cervone, D. (1983). Self-evaluative and self-efficacy mechanisms governing the motivational effects of goal systems. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 10171028.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berndt, T.J., & Burgy, L. (1996). Social self-concept. In Bracken, B.A. (Ed). Handbook of self-concept: Developmental, social, and clinical considerations. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Billings, A.G., & Moos, R.H. (1985). Psychosocial processes of remission in unipolar depression: Comparing depressed patients with matched community controls. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 314325.Google Scholar
Bollen, K. A. (1989). Structural equations with latent variables. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Brehm, J.W. (1993). Control, its loss, and psychological reactance. In Weary, G., Gleicher, G F.., & Marsk, K.L. (Eds.) Control motivation and social cognition. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Byrne, B. M. (1989). A primer of LISREL: Basic applications and programming for confirmatory factor analytic models. New York: Springer Verlag.Google Scholar
Byrne, B.M. (1996). Academic self-concept: Its structure, measurement, and relation to academic achievement. In Bracken, B.A. (Ed). Handbook of self-concept: Developmental, social, and clinical considerations. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Cervone, D., & Peake, P.K. (1986). Anchoring, efficacy, and action: The influence of judgmental heuristics on self-efficacy judgments and behaviour. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 492501.Google Scholar
Coleman, J.C., & Hendry, L. (1990). The nature of adolescence. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Committee on Health Research Relating to Future Intervention Options. (1996). Summary of investing in health research and development. Geneva: World Health Organisation.Google Scholar
Compas, B.E., Banez, G.A., Malcarne, V., & Worsham, N. (1991). Perceived control and coping with stress: A developmental perspective. Journal of Social Issues, 47, 2334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Compas, B.E., Ey, S., & Grant, K.E. (1993). Taxonomy, assessment, and diagnosis of depression during adolescence. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 323344.Google Scholar
Compas, B.E., Malcarne, V.L., & Fondacaro, K.M. (1988). Coping with stressful events in older children and young adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 405411.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Compas, B.E., Orosan, P.G., & Grant, K.E. (1993). Adolescent stress and coping: Implications for psychopathology during adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 16, 331349.Google Scholar
Conway, V.J., & Terry, D.J. (1992). Appraised controllability as a moderator of the effectiveness of different coping strategies: A test of the goodness of fit hypothesis. Australian Journal of Psychology, 44, 17.Google Scholar
Damon, W. (1983). Social and personality development. New York: Norton.Google Scholar
Derogatis, L.R. (1994). SCL-90-R administration, scoring, and procedures manual. Minneapolis, MN: National Computer Systems.Google Scholar
D'Zurilla, T.J. & Goldfried, M.R. (1971). Problem-solving and behavior modification. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 78, 107126.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Epstein, S. (1973). The self-concept revisited or a theory of a theory. American Psychologist, 28, 405416.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Folkman, S. (1984). Personal control and stress and coping processes: A theoretical analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 839852.Google Scholar
Folkman, S., Lazarus, R.S., Gruen, R.J., & DeLongis, A. (1986). Appraisal, coping, health status, and psychological symptoms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 571579.Google Scholar
Forsythe, C.J., & Compas, B.E. (1987). Interaction of stressful events and coping: Testing the goodness of fit hypothesis. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 11, 473485.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frydenberg, E., & Lewis, R. (1990). How adolescents cope with different concerns: The development of the Adolescent Coping Check-list (ACC). Psychological Test Bulletin, 3, 6373.Google Scholar
Frydenberg, E., & Lewis, R. (1991). Adolescent coping styles and strategies: Is there functional and dysfunctional coping? Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 1, 6582.Google Scholar
Frydenberg, E., & Lewis, R. (1993a). Boys play sport and girls turn to others: Age, gender and ethnicity as determinants of coping. Journal of Adolescence, 16, 253266.Google Scholar
Frydenberg, E., & Lewis, R. (1993b). Manual: The Adolescent Coping Scale. Hawthorn, Victoria: Australian Council for Educational Research.Google Scholar
Frydenberg, E., & Lewis, R. (1994). Coping with different concerns: Consistency and variation in coping strategies used by adolescents. Australian Psychologist, 29, 4548.Google Scholar
Frydenberg, E., & Lewis, R. (1996). A replication study of the structure of the Adolescent Coping Scale: Multiple forms and applications of a self-report inventory in a counselling and research context. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 12, 224235.Google Scholar
Gamble, W.C. (1994). Perceptions of controllability and other stressor event characteristics as determinants of coping among young adolescents and young adults. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 23, 6584.Google Scholar
Garmezy, N. (1985). Stress-resistant children: The search for protective factors. In Stevenson, J.E.. (Ed.). Recent research in developmental psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry Book Supplement No. 4. Oxford: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Harter, S., & Connell, J.P. (1984). A model of children's achievement and related self-perceptions of competence, control, and motivational orientation. In Mayer, M.. (Ed.) Advances in motivation and achievement, Vol.3. Greenwich, CT: J.A.I. Press.Google Scholar
Jacobs, B., Prentice-Dunn, S., & Rogers, R.W. (1984). Understanding persistence: An interface of control theory and self-efficacy theory. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 5, 333347.Google Scholar
Joreskog, K.G., & Sorbom, D. (1988). PRELIS. Chicago, Illinois: SPSS.Google Scholar
Joreskog, K.G., & Sorbom, D. (1989). LISREL 7: A guide to the program and applications. Chicago, Illinois: SPSS.Google Scholar
LaMontagne, L.L. (1984) Children's locus of control beliefs as predictors of preoperative coping behavior. Nursing Research, 33, 7679Google Scholar
Lazarus, R.S., & Folkman, S. (1991). Stress, appraisal and coping. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Marsh, H.W. (1990a). Self Description Questionnaire (SDQ) III: A theoretical and empirical basis for the measurement of multiple dimensions of late adolescent self-concept: An interim test manual and research monograph. NSW: Faculty of Education, UWS-Macarthur.Google Scholar
Marsh, H.W. (1990b). A multidimensional, hierarchical model of self-concept: Theoretical and empirical justification. Educational Psychology Review, 2, 77172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marsh, H.W., Balla, J.R., & Hau, K.T. (1996). An evaluation of incremental fit indices: A clarification of mathematical and empirical processes. In G.A.Google Scholar
Marcoulides, & Schumacker, R.E. (Eds.), Advanced structural equation modeling techniques. Hillsdale, NJ. Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Marsh, H. W. (1994). Confirmatory factor analysis models of factorial invariance: A multifaceted approach. Structural Equation Modeling, 1, 514.Google Scholar
Marsh, H.W. & Hattie, J. (1996). Theoretical perspectives on the structure of self-concept. In Bracken, B.A.. (Ed.) Handbook of self-concept: Developmental, social, and clinical considerations. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
McDonald, R.P., & Marsh, H.W. (1990). Choosing a multivariate model: Noncentrality and goodness of fit. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 247255.Google Scholar
Morrow, J., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1990). Effects of responses to depression on the remediation of depressive affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 519527.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
National Health and Medical Research Council. (1997). Depression in young people: Clinical practice guidelines. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.Google Scholar
Nezu, A.M. (1985). Differences in psychological distress between effective and ineffective problem-solvers. Journal of Counselling Psychology, 32, 135138.Google Scholar
Nezu, A.M., Nezu, CM., Saraydarian, L., Kalmar, K. & Ronan, G.F. (1986). Social problem solving as a moderating variable between negative life stress and depressive symptoms. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 10, 489498.Google Scholar
Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1991). Responses to depression and their effects on the duration of depressive episodes. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 569582.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Novick, N., Cauce, A.M., & Grove, K. (1996). Competence self-concept. In Bracken, B.A.. (Ed.) Handbook of self-concept: Developmental, social, and clinical considerations. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
O'Brien, G.E. & Kabanoff, B. (1981). Australian norms and factor analysis of Rotter's internal-external control scale. Australian Psychologist, 16, 184202.Google Scholar
Parkes, K.R. (1984). Locus of control, cognitive appraisal, and coping in stressful episodes. I, 46, 655668.Google Scholar
Peake, P.K., & Cervone, D. (1989). Sequence anchoring and self-efficacy: Primary effects in the consideration of possibilities. Social cognition, 7, 3150.Google Scholar
Pedhazur, E. J. & Schmelkin, L. P. (1991). Measurement, design, and analysis: An integrated approach. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Peterson, A.C., Compas, B.E., Brooks-Gunn, J., Stemmler, M., Ey, S. & Grant, K.E. (1993). Depression in adolescence. American Psychologist, 48, 155168.Google Scholar
Peterson, C., Maier, S.F., & Seligman, M.E.P. (1993). Learned helplessness: A theory for the age of personal control. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Petrosky, M.J., & Birkimer, J.C. (1991). The relationship amongst locus of control, coping styles, and psychological symptom reporting. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 47, 336345.Google Scholar
Rothbaum, F., Weisz, J.R., & Snyder, S.S. (1982). Changing the world and changing the self: A two-process model of perceived control. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 537.Google Scholar
Rothbaum, F., Wolfer, J., & Vistintainer, M. (1979). Coping behaviour and locus of control in children. Journal of Personality, 47, 118135.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rotter, J.B. (1966). Generalised expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 80, 128.Google Scholar
Schwarzer, R. (1992). Self-efficacy in the adoption and maintenance of health behaviours: Theoretical approaches and a new model. In Schwarzer, R. (Ed). Self-efficacy: Thought control of action. Washington: Hemisphere.Google Scholar
Seiffge-Krenke, I. (1993). Coping behaviour in normal and clinical samples: More similarities than differences? Journal of Adolescence, 16, 285303.Google Scholar
Shavelson, R.J. & Bolus, R. (1982). Self-concept: The interplay of theory and methods. Journal of Educational Psychology, 74, 317.Google Scholar
Skinner, E.A. (1995). Perceived control, motivation, and coping. Individual Differences and Development Series, Vol. 8. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.Google Scholar
Spirito, A., Francis, G., Overholser, J. & Frank, N. (1996). Coping, depression and adolescent suicide attempts. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 25, 147155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steed, L.G. (1998). A critique of coping scales. Australian Psychologist, 33, 193202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stein, R.J. (1996). Physical self-concept. In Bracken, B.A. (Ed). Handbook of self-concept: Developmental, social, and clinical considerations. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Tyler, F.B. (1978). Individual psychosocial competence: A personality configuration. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 38, 309323.Google Scholar
Tyler, F.B. (1979). Psychosocial competence differences amongst adolescents on entering group counselling. Psychological Reports, 44, 811822.Google Scholar
Tyler, F.B., Dhawan, N., & Sinha, Y. (1987). Adaption patterns of Indian and American adolescents. Journal of Social Psychology, 128, 633645.Google Scholar
Weinberg, R.S., Gould, D., & Jackson, A. (1979). Expectations and performance: An empirical test of Bandura's self-efficacy theory. Journal of Sport Psychology, 1, 320331.Google Scholar
Weiner, B. (1985). An attributional theory of achievement motivation and emotion. Psychological Review, 92, 548573.Google Scholar
Weiner, B. (1986). An attributional theory of motivation and emotion. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Weisz, J.R. (1990). Development of control-related beliefs, goals, and styles in childhood and adolescence: A clinical perspective. In Rodin, J.., Schooler, C.., & Warner, S.K.. (Eds.). Self-directedness: Cause and effects throughout the life course. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Weisz, J.R., Stevens, J.S., Curry, J.F., Cohen, R., Craighead, W.E., Burlingame, W.V., Smith, A., Weiss, B., & Parmelee, D.X. (1989). Control-related cognitions and depression amongst inpatient children and adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 28, 358363.Google Scholar
Weisz, J.R., & Stipek, D.J. (1982). Competency, contingency, and the development of perceived control. Human Development, 25, 250281.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weisz, J.R., Sweeney, L., Proffitt, V., & Carr, T. (1993). Control-related beliefs and self-reported depressive symptoms in late childhood. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 102, 411418.Google Scholar
Weisz, J.R., Weiss, B., Wasserman, A.A., & Rintoul, B. (1987). Control-related beliefs and depression among clinic-referred children and adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 96, 5863.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed