Estrategias de Afrontamiento y Nivel de Resiliencia Presentes en Adultos Jóvenes Víctimas del Conflicto Armado Colombiano: Un Estudio Correlacional

Abstract

The armed conflict in Colombia has affected the population for decades. The objective of the present study was to analyze the relationship among coping strategies and between these and the resilience level of a sample of young adult victims of the Colombian armed conflict. Adopting a quantitative approach of a descriptive and correlational nature and conducting a convenience sampling procedure in the Colombian municipalities of Bucamaranga, Piedecuesta, Giron, and Floridablanca, we worked with 70 young adults (23 men and 47 women), administering a semi-structured interview, the Coping Strategies Scale - Modified, and the Resilience Scale. Regarding the descriptive results obtained for the participants’ coping strategies, high scores were identified in social support, religion, aggressive reaction, and expression of coping difficulties, while low scores were found in problem-solving, waiting, emotional avoidance, seeking professional support, cognitive avoidance, positive reevaluation, denial, and autonomy. Regarding the resilience scale, low scores were observed in the sample. Lastly, correlations were found among coping strategies and between emotional avoidance and equanimity and feeling good alone, two categories of resilience. It is argued that, in this conflict situation, subjects display non-adaptive coping strategies that can influence the development of psychopathological disorders by failing to enhance resilience.