POVEZANOST STRATEGIJA PREVLADAVANJA STRESA SA PSIHOLOŠKIM BLAGOSTANJEM U KASNOJ ADOLESCENCIJI

Abstract

The goal of this research was to examine possible connections between coping strategies and dimensions of psychological well-being in the period of adolescence. In transactional stress theories, coping is defined as all effort that a person undertakes to cope with the external and internal demands of a stressful situation. This research used the Endler and Parker classification of coping strategies: problem-focused, emotionfocused coping strategies, and avoidance. The dimensions of psychological well-being were included from the Carol Ryff model: autonomy, self-acceptance, purpose in life, environmental mastery, positive relations with others, and personal development. The sample of the research consisted of 216 participants, aged from 18 to 25 years, with the average age being 21.73 years. Most participants were female, 81.40%. The results of the canonical correlation analysis point to a positive relationship between problem-focused coping and all dimensions of well-being, as well as a negative relationship between emotion-focused coping and all dimensions. Avoidance was positively connected with positive relationships with others. These analyses suggest that experiences in which adolescents successfully face controllable developmental stressors via problem-focused coping are essential for a healthy sense of well-being. Adolescents build key developmental capacities such as positive relations with others, autonomy, feelings of meaning, and purpose exactly through facing problems and mastering new capabilities and experiences. Excessive use of emotion-focused coping may bring short-term relief, but at the price of long-term well-being and maturity. One area of possible interventions is preventive adviser work with young people for them to develop optimal problem-focused strategies, such as situation analysis, searching for possible alternatives, careful preparation of actions, etc. Keywords: coping strategies, psychological well-being, adolescence, developmental crises