Studying coping strategies in modern youth

Abstract

The issue of coping behavior is highly relevant in modern life. Every individual seeks their own ways of dealing with life’s difficulties. Such ways can be constructive, fostering personal growth, or destructive, aggravating the situation. For young people who are in the process of self-determination and forming life experience, this task becomes particularly challenging, which makes timely psychological assistance and support crucial for developing constructive coping strategies. Both group and individual formats of psychological work are important for forming effective and diverse coping strategies among young people. For counselling to be effective, it is essential to understand the specific features of young people’s coping behavior, as well as their current and potential problems addressed in psychological counselling. The importance of studying coping lies in the possibility of developing scientifically based recommendations and support methods aimed at fostering constructive responses to stressful situations, enhancing emotional competence, and improving stress tolerance among young people. We believe that one of the ways to solve this problem is to study and identify effective techniques of psychological assistance that promote the development of coping strategies in youth. The purpose of this study is to examine the features of coping strategies used by student youth to overcome anxiety, stress, and difficult life situations. The article considers both adaptive and non-adaptive types of coping behavior. The results of the study of coping strategies using E. Heim’s questionnaire showed that more than half of the respondents, in difficult situations, choose maladaptive and relatively adaptive behavioral coping strategies such as withdrawal, avoidance, distraction, and compensation. The survey revealed that the most effective ways for young people to cope with challenging life situations are creativity, social interaction, and outdoor activities. The findings indicate a practical need for educational work with young people about the effectiveness of professional psychological support, as well as the development of programs aimed at fostering adaptive coping strategies.