Psychological Resilience and Coping Strategies of High School Students Based on Certain Variables

The purpose of this study is to analyze psychological resilience levels and of coping strategies of high school students in terms of certain variables, and the relationship between coping strategies and psychological resilience. The study group of the research consisted of 229 Anatolian High School students in Turkey. The data of the research was collected using the Child and Teenager Psychological Resilience Scale, and the Teenagers' Coping Skills Scale. The data was analyzed using t-test, One-Way ANOVA, and Kruskal Wallis H test. According to the findings, the students have good psychological resilience, although they did not show the same results in active coping strategies. The psychological resilience of the students did not show any significant difference based on their gender, income or education levels of their parents, or the marital status of their parents; also, the students’ coping strategies did not show any significant difference based on their gender, class level, preschool education, income, or education levels of their father. It was found that when the class level increased, psychological resilience decreased; with regard to the 12th grade students’ ages, this result was considered notable. Students who had limited preschool education appear disadvantaged compared to those who had no preschool education or those who received it continuously (with no breaks). Students whose mothers attended primary school or were high school graduates used active coping strategies more than those whose mothers held an undergraduate degree. Students whose parents were divorced, on the other hand, tended to use avoidance strategies. A medium-level, positive relationship was found between psychological resilience and active coping, and a medium-level, negative relationship was found between psychological resilience and negative coping. In this sense, students of the 12th grade should be educated about active coping in order to strengthen their psychological resilience