Resiliency, social support, and coping in rural low-income Appalachian adolescents from two racial groups

• Published in: Journal of adolescence (London, England.) Vol. 23; no. 6; pp. 693 - 703
• Main Authors: MARKSTROM, CAROL A, MARSHALL, SHEILA K, TRYON, ROBIN J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2000; Elsevier Science; Academic Press for the Association for the Psychiatric Study of Adolescents; John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Adolescents; African Americans - psychology; African Americans - statistics & numerical data; Appalachia; Appalachian People; Appalachian Region - epidemiology; Biological and medical sciences; Black White Differences; Child development; Child psychology; Coping; Coping style; Developmental psychology; European Continental Ancestry Group - psychology; European Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; High Schools; Humans; Low income families; Low Income Groups; Male; Personality. Affectivity; Poverty; Predictor Variables; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Race; Racial Differences; Resilience; Resilience (Personality); Rural areas; Rural Population; Rural Population - statistics & numerical data; Rural Youth; Social Adjustment; Social Support; Social Support Groups; Stress; Surveys and Questionnaires; USA; Appalachian Region; Human; Social environment; Rural environment; Sex; Negroid; Personality; Stress; Cultural environment; Adolescent; Race; Coping; Caucasoid; Social support
• ISSN: 0140-1971; 1095-9254
• DOI: 10.1006/jado.2000.0353

In this study an attempt was made to examine social support and coping in relation to resiliency among a sample of rural, low-income Appalachian adolescents of African-American and White races. Fifty-three African-American and 60 White 10th grade students completed the Perceived Social Support Scale for Family and Friends, the Ways of Coping Checklist, and Psychosocial Inventory of Ego Strengths. Utilizing regression analyses, it was shown that social support from family and problem-focused, avoidance, and wishful-thinking forms of coping significantly predicted resiliency. Race and gender distinctions were minimal in respect to the measured variables in the study. Research in the future should include continued examination of rural and diverse samples, the use of various sampling procedures, and longitudinal assessments of resiliency.