Abstract

REYES PEREZ, Verónica; RODRIGUEZ, Areli Reséndiz; ALCAZAR OLAN, Raúl José  and  REIDL MARTINEZ, Lucy María. Coping strategies assumed by teenagers in situations that cause fear. Psicogente [online]. 2017, vol.20, n.38, pp.240-255. ISSN 0124-0137.  https://doi.org/10.17081/psico.20.38.2544.

Objective: This study aims to identify coping strategies used by Mexican teenagers in situations that elicit fear. Method: This study was non-experimental. The sample consisted of 400 Mexican teenager in secondary level (50 % men and 50 % women) mean age = 13.90 (of= 0.96). Research ers used an instrument to measure the intensity of the fear assumed in nine different types of situations such as: social violence, animals, living alone, doctors, social situations, the unknown, domestic violence, school and death (a =. 93). Through an open-ended question, the participants were asked the following: what would they do in those situations? Allowing them to identify the way they cope with these situations. Results: Women reported greater fear than men in all situ ations except fear of school, where they scored higher. Women generally used more strategies of emotional relief and searching for support while men used aggressive and distraction strategies in relation to those situations. In relation to the fear of death, men assume avoidance strategies, distraction and search for support while women assume direct strategies such as: emotional relief, search for support, avoidance distraction and aggression. In conclusion, coping strategists are not good or bad; it depends on the support given to solve the situation that generates fear.

Keywords : Adolescence; Adolescents; Coping strategies; Fear; Linear regressions.

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