CHILDREN'S COPING AND COGNITIVE APPRAISALS

186 Pages·1999·9.61 MB·English

CHILDREN'S COPING AND COGNITIVE APPRAISALS:
AN INVESTIGATION OF STRESSOR AND GENDER SPECZFICITY
Anne E. Fedorowicz
B.A. Honours, University of Manitoba, 19 93
MA., Simon Fraser University, 1995
THESIS SUBMîTTED IN PARTIAL FVLFILLLMENTO F
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHZLOSOPHY
in the Department
of
Psychology
O Anne E. Fedorowicz 1998
SIMON FRASER UNiVERSITY
October 1998
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Abstract
The Children's Coping Questionnaire (CCQ) was developed to address the limitations of
existing self-report measures of children's coping. The purpose of this study was ro establish
the factonal invariance of the CCQ across gender and stresson. In addition, the constnict
validity of the rneasure was investigated by examuiing stressor and gender differences in
children's cognitive appraisals of stress and coping strategies, and by examining the
relationships among cognitive appraisals, coping, and outcome. Participants were 525 children,
aged 8 to 11 yean, who filled out the CCQ. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses
showed that both the primary and secondary factor structure of the measure were invariant
across gender (boys and girls) and siressors (school, peer, and family problems), with the
primary factor structure representing 14 conceptuaily distinct coping strategies, and the
secondary factor structure representing the distinction between Approach, Avoidance, and
Venting. Situational differences in cognitive appraisals of stress (i.e., perceived control, threat,
and blame) were aiso confirmed. ui addition, the results showed that chiidren's coping
strategies varied by stressor type and by gender, with gender Merences in coping still being
evident even after controlhg for problem content and cognitive appraisals of stress. Lady,
significant relationships were demonstrated among cognitive appraisals, coping strategies, and
outcome (i.e., perceived coping efficacy), consistent with the contexnial theory of stress and
coping and prevîous research on childrenys coping. Overall, the hdings fiom this study
provided support for the constnict validity and factorid invariance of the CCQ, suggesting that
the CCQ is a promishg measure of children's coping.
To Frank
&
To my Mother and Father
Ac knowledgements
I wodd like to extend rny sincerest thanks and appreciation to Patricia Kerig, who has
mentored and guided me throughout my studies and in the preparation of this thesis.
in addition, my th& to Ron Roesch and Ray Koopman for their suggestions and
advice in preparing this thesis, as well as to my external examiners, Anita DeLongis and Lucy
LeMare, for theu helpful comments.
1 wouid also like to thank everyone who helped with the collection of this data, namely,
Corina Brown, Linda Duarte, Lin Lim, Laurel Scharfenberg, and Mandeep Ameja
A special thanks to my husband, Frank, whose support and encouragement were never-
ending throughout the years of my d e s , a s weil as to my parents for their faith in me.
FinaUy, 1 would like to thank the British Columbia Health Research Foundation for the
grant that supported the completion of this study.
Table of Contents
................................................................................................................................
Dedication IV
...............................................................................................................
Acknowledgements v
.......................... .................... ........................................................................
Table of Contents vi
......................... ...... ., ....................................................................................
List of Tables ;u
Lin of Figures ....................................... .................................................................................. xii
............. .....,..... .........................................................................................................
introduction 1
Theory of Stress and Coping ................... ................ ......................................................... 3
. .
Conceptualizanon of Coping ............. .. ............................................................... 6
The Memement of Coping. .................. .. ................................................................ 9
Developmental Issues ............................................................... .......................... 9
Concepnial Issues .................................................................................................. Il
Psychomeaic Issues ............................................................................................... 17
...............................................
Development oft he Children's Coping Questionnaire 20
Psychometric Properties of the CCQ .......................................... ...........................7..1
Validation of the CCQ ......................... .. ............................................................................. 23'
..................... .....,........œ............. ..............................................
Measurement invariance 25
Investigations of Meamernent Invariance in the Coping Literahire ..................... 27
........................................................................................................
C o m c tV alidation 30
Stressor and Gender Differences in Cognitive Appraisals of Stress .................... 3 1
Stressor and Gender Dzerences in Coping .......................................................... 33
vii
Relationships Among Cognitive Appraisais. Coping Strategies. and Outcome. ... 37
Present Study and Hypotheses ...................................................................................... 41
......................... ..........................................................................................................
Method 45
,.,
.
.......... ... ..........................................................................................................
Participants 45
............................ .......... ........................................................................
Measures 4 6
Questions About You ........................................................................................... 46
.............................................................
Children's Coping Questionnaire (CCQ) 46
.........................................................................................................................
Procedure 47
Data Screeningfïests of Assurnptions ............................................................................. 48
Descri* pti.v e Stati.s h.c s .............. ... ......... .,, ........................................................... 5 0
Hypothesis 1: Factoriai Invariance of the CCQ Across Gender and Stressors ................ 50
Primary Factor St nicture ................................................................................. 5 0
......................... ............. ...................................
Secondary Factor Structure 52
Hypothesis 2: Snessor and Gender Differences in Appraisds and Coping Efficacy. ...... 55
Stressor and Gender DEerences in Appraisais .................................................. 56
Stressor and Gender DBerences in Copîng Efficacy .................. .... ............. 57
Hypothesis 3: Stressor and Gender Differences in Coping Strategies ............................. 58
Stressor and Gender Differences on the Prirnary Coping Scales ........................ 59
Stressor and Gender Differences on the Secondary Coping Scdes. ...................... 61
Controllhg for Problem Content: Gender DEerences in Coping ........................6 3
Controlling for Cognitive Appraisds: Gender Differences in Coping ................ .. 63
Hypothesis 4: Relationships Among Appraisak7 Coping, and Outcome for Boys and
..................................................................................................................................
Girls 64
.................................................................................................................................
Discussion 67
........................................
Factorial hvariance of the Chüdren's Cophg Questionnaire 67
...
Constnict Validity of the Children's Coping Questionnaire. ..... ........................7 2
..
Stressor and Gender Differences in Cognitive Appmisals and Coping Efficacy 72
....................................
Stressor and Gender Differences in Coping Strategies 77
Controllhg for Problem Content and Cognitive Appraisds: Gender Differences in
........ ..................... ............................................................................
Coping 84
Relationships Among Cognitive Appraisds, Coping Stratedes, and Outcome. ... 86
Directions for Future Research ...................................... ,. . . .92
efereces. ........................................................................................................................... 9 7
Appendix A: ChiIdren's Coping Questionnaire - Item Composition .................................. 120
Appendix B: Questions About You ....................... .. ...................................................... 125
Appendix C: Cognitive Appraisal Questions. ........... .. .......................................... .... ..... 126
Appendix D: ChiIdren's Coping Questionnaire. . ........ . ..................................................... 127
Appendix E: Perceived Coping Efficacy Questions ....................... ... ........................... 132
Appendix F: Factor Loadings for the Three Factor Solution on the mole Sample .............. 133
....................... ... .............................................................................................
Appendix G 134
.......... ................
Table G1: Intercorrelations Among Factors for the Whole Sample 134
Table G2: Intercorrelations Among Factors for Girls and Boys .................................... 135
Table G3 : Intercorrelations Among Factors for Schooi, Peer, and FamiLy Stressor. ..... 136
Appendùt H ............................................................................................................................. 137
Table Hl: School Stressor . Means and Standard Devîations for the Primary and
ix
........................... .... ..............................................
Secondary Coping Scaies by Gender 137
Table H2: Peer Stressor - Means and Standard Deviations for the Primary and Secondary
..... ....................... . ...................................................
Coping Scaies by Gender 1 38
-
Table H3 : Family Stressor Means and Standard Deviations for the Trimary =cl
..
............................ .....................................
Secondary Coping Scales by Gender 1 39
..
........................................................................ .............................................
Appendix I 140
Table 11 : Correlations Among Prirnary Cop ing Scales, Cognitive Appraisals, and
..........................................................................................................
Outcome for Girls 140
Table i2: Correlations Among Primary Coping Scales, Cognitive Appraisals, and
Outcome for Boys ........................ .. ............................................................................. 141
List of Tables
Table 1. Definitions and Examples of Coping Categories fiom the Children's Coping
......................................................................................................
Questionnaire 142
.
Table 2 Hypothesized Direction of Relationships between Coping Strategies. Cognitive
................................................ .................
Appraisals of Stress. and Outcome 145
Table 3 . Means and Standard Deviations for Primary and Secondary Coping Scales for Boys
................................................................................................................
and Girls 146
Table 4 . Means and Standard Deviations for Primary and Secondary Coping Scales for
.......................................................................
School, Peer, and Family Stressors 147
.
Table 5 Means and Standard Deviations for Appraisds and Perceived Coping Efficacy for
Boys and Girls. ...................................................................................................... 148
Table 6. Means and Standard Deviations for Appraisals and Perceived Coping Efncacy for
.......................................................................
School, Peer, and Family Stressors 149
Table 7. Cross-Tabulation of Gender by Stressor ............................................................... 150
Table 8. Cross-Tabulation of Gender by Stressor by Feeling ...................... ... ........ 151
Table 9 . Fit of the Unidimensional Factor Models for the Whole Sample, Across Gender,
.............................................................................................
and Across Stressors 152
Table 10. Factor Loadings for the Unidimensional Factor Models br the Mole Sample,
Across Gender, and Across Stressors ... .................,,...............,,,......................... .1 53
Table 11 . Factor Loadings for the Three Factor Solution by Gender .......... ............. . ..... 158
Table 12. Factor Loadings for the Three Factor Solution Across Stressors. ...................... 159
Table 13. Congruence Coefficients for the Factor Solutions Found Across Gender ............ 160