Coping strategies in adolescents with psychotic-like experiences

  1. Fonseca Pedrero, Eduardo
  2. Lemos-Giráldez, S.
  3. Paino, M.
  4. Sierra-Baigrie, S.
  5. Villazón-García; U
  6. Bobes, J.
  7. Muñiz, J
Revista:
European Psychiatry

ISSN: 0924-9338

Año de publicación: 2010

Volumen: 25

Número: 1

Tipo: Artículo

Otras publicaciones en: European Psychiatry

Resumen

Coping strategies have been defined as the cognitive-behavioral efforts in continuous change made by a subject in order to manage internal and/or external demands which exceed his/her personal resources (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Said coping strategies have been extensively investigated in individuals with symptoms of psychosis-proneness.ObjectivesThe main objective of the present study was to compare the coping strategies used by adolescents with and without subclinical psychotic symptoms.MethodThe sample was composed of 1,713 Spanish adolescents, 881 (51.4%) females, with a mean age of 14.7 years (SD = 1.7).ResultsThe results showed that the adolescents with subclinical psychotic symptoms used Avoidance-type coping strategies more frequently and Positive-type coping strategies less frequently in comparison to the control group.ConclusionsThese findings indicate a pattern of deficit in the strategies used to cope with stress similar to that of patients with schizophrenia, which is very interesting with a view to establishing lines of intervention within early detection and treatment programs for high-risk individuals aimed at modifying these patterns of deficit in coping with environmental stimuli in these populations.