title: Determinants of coping responses among Mexican American adolescents.
abstract: This study examined relationships among perceived stress, self-esteem, acculturation, and gender with the coping response of 472 Mexican American adolescents aged 14 to 16 years. Subjects were drawn from a predominantly Mexican American population located in the Lower Rio Grande Valley region of Texas. Data were collected through a self-report instrument consisting of perceived stress, acculturative status, self-esteem, and coping strategy scales. Subjects reported relatively high perceived stress levels, low acculturation, and moderate self-esteem scores with no significant gender differences. Analysis revealed self-esteem as most predictive of a more effective overall coping response. Results suggest Mexican American adolescents possessing high self-esteem are less likely to encounter damage to their sense of self when confronted with stressors, thus allowing for productive coping.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Health and Kinesiology, University of Texas-Pan American, 1201 W. University Drive, Edinburg, TX 78539-2999, USA. rguinn@panam.edu
authors.forename: Bobby
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Guinn
authors.forename: Vern
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vincent
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011340:Problem Solving; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012572:School Health Services; D012649:Self Concept; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas