1. This study aims to find more evidence regarding the link between engagement and
disengagement coping behaviors and their use among a clinical population of
children/adolescents with a primary diagnosis of an anxiety disorder. Hypotheses include:
1. Disengagement coping will increase across age within a clinical population of anxious
children.
2. Engagement coping will decrease across age within a clinical population of anxious
children.
3. Involuntary coping will increase across age within a clinical population of anxious children.
• Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS-IV)- Child and Parent Interview
Schedules: Semi-structured interview designed to help diagnose children with an
emotional disorder, where anxiety is a prominent component.
• Response to Stress Questionnaire (RSQ)- Self-report questionnaire assessing
coping and involuntary stress response. The RSQ includes 57 items that reflect three
subscales of coping: engagement, disengagement, and involuntary coping.
• Coping strategies, styles, and behaviors can have a significant impact on youth development
from childhood through early adulthood.
• According to Connor-Smith, Compas, Wadsworth, Thomsen, & Saltzman (2000), coping is
typically divided into three categories:
Engagement Coping: Problem solving, emotional regulation, emotional expression, positive
thinking, cognitive restructuring, acceptance, distraction
Disengagement Coping: Avoidance, denial, wishful thinking
Involuntary Coping: Rumination, intrusive thoughts, emotional arousal, physiological
arousal, involuntary action, emotional numbing, cognitive interference, inaction, escape
• It is likely that use of different coping styles changes across age and developmental levels.
• Evidence suggests engagement coping can serve as a protective factor against
symptomology, whereas disengagement coping may be linked to increased internalizing
symptoms (Chu, Skriner & Staples, 2013).
• Studies exploring coping behaviors among youth within a community setting indicate that:
-Rumination, an example of involuntary coping, increases with age among girls
-Avoidance, an example of disengagement coping, has been found to decrease with age
among both girls and boys.
-Problem solving, an example of an engagement coping, appear to be stable over time
(Hampel & Petermann, 2005).
• Research on coping behaviors among anxious youth is sparse, but some studies report that
anxious children typically engage in avoidance related coping behaviors, which is linked to
disengagement coping (Manassis, Mendlowitz & Menna,1997).
• 160 children (ages 8-17) with DSM-IV-TR anxiety disorders were divided into three age
groups of 8-11, 12-14 and 15-17.
• Average age was 11.87 years (SD 2.39). The same was 78.5%
Caucasian, 7% African American, and 8% Asian American.
• Of note, the 15 to 17 age group had lower representation than
the other two age groups.
Emotional Coping Behaviors Across the Developmental Spectrum
Among Children with Anxiety Disorders
Anusha M. Kumar, Andrea Temkin PsyM., & Brian C. Chu, Ph.D.
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
• Consistent with study hypothesis, findings demonstrate disengagement coping increases
across age as per both parent-report and child-report.
While mother and father report no differences between 15-17 and 12-14 year olds,
children report higher levels of disengagement coping at 15-17 as compared to 8-11 and
12-14.
This may be because older children have a greater number of domains in which they
are utilizing strategies such as avoidance, or because as they have used these
strategies over time, they have gathered greater evidence that they are effective in the
short-term, and are therefore more likely to use them.
• Contrary to expectations, there was no evidence engagement coping decreases across
age from either parent or child report. Rather, fathers reported higher levels of engagement
coping among 12-14 as compared to 8- 11 year olds, but not 15-17 year olds. Mean scores
were not significantly different between 8-11 year olds and 15-17 year olds.
It is possible that fathers are more involved in their children’s lives during the middle age
range, and are therefore more aware of engagement coping strategies at this time point.
Another possibility is that they are actively encouraging youth in the middle age range to
use these strategies, and are therefore more aware of it.
In comparison, youth are likely more aware of their engagement coping behaviors
across age groups, and mothers may be more actively involved in their children’s coping
strategies regardless of age.
• Youth report supported the hypothesis that involuntary coping behaviors would increase
with age, though parent-report found no significant differences across age.
This discrepancy is likely to due the internal nature of involuntary coping behaviors,
which likely make them more noticeable to youth, who are experiencing them, than to
either parent.
• Awareness of the increase in disengagement coping behaviors across age groups among
a clinical population may inform what coping strategies are focused on in treatment.
• Future research would be helpful in determining whether focusing on decreasing
disengagement strategies, or increasing engagement strategies, would lead to better
treatment outcomes.
• Research examining coping styles and onset of anxiety symptoms over time would be
useful in determining the causal mechanisms at play and direction of the relationship
between variables.
April 29th, 2016
RESULTS cont.RESULTS
CONCLUSIONS
REFERENCES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS/ CONTACT
I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Brian Chu for giving me this extraordinary opportunity to learn and grow, for his
encouragement, continued support and guidance throughout the year. I would especially like to thank Andrea Temkin,
doctoral student at GSAPP, without whom I would not have been able to complete this project. Many thanks to Chris
Wyszynski and Pheobe Conklin for all the invaluable advice in the journal club meetings, as well as Kathleen Daly and
Kelsie Peta for their support. I cannot express enough thanks to the Aresty Research Center and the School of Arts and
Sciences for this unique opportunity.
Please send correspondence to: Anusha Kumar at anusha.kumar04@gmail.com
MEASURES
HYPOTHESES
PARTICIPANTS
INTRODUCTION
Connor-Smith, J. K., Compas, B. E., Wadsworth, M. E., Thomsen, A. H., & Saltzman, H. (2000). Responses to stress in
adolescence: Measurement of coping and involuntary stress responses. Journal of Consulting and Clinical
Psychology, 68(6), 976-992.
Hampel, P., & Petermann, F. (2005). Age and Gender Effects on Coping in Children and Adolescents. J Youth
Adolescence Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34(2), 73-83.
Manassis, K., Mendlowitz, S., & Menna, R. (1997). Child and parent reports of childhood anxiety: Differences in coping
styles. Depression and Anxiety Depress. Anxiety, 6(2), 62-69.
Chu, B. C., Skriner, L. C., & Staples, A. M. (2013). Chapter 5: Behavioral Avoidance across Child and Adolescent
Pathology. In Transdiagnostic Treatments for Children and Adolescents (pp. 84-110). New York: The Guilford
Press.
I’ll just do
better next
time
I’m going to
stay away
from
everyone
I suddenly feel
nauseous
Engagement Coping
Disengagement CopingInvoluntary Coping
78
61
21
Age Groups
8-11
12-14
15-17
Figure A: Illustrates mother, father, and youth reported disengagement coping scores from RSQ with confidence intervals.
Distinct letters distinguish between significantly different group means. Mother scores= a, b; Father scores = c, d; Youth scores = e, f
• Though mother, father, and youth did not demonstrate the same trends across age group
regarding levels of engagement and involuntary coping behaviors, there were a number of
significant findings regarding these coping styles:
• According to dads, 12-14 years olds use higher levels of engagement coping than 8-11
years old, but not 15-17 years old. And, 8-11 years old do not significantly differ in their
use of engagement coping than 15-17 year olds.
• According to children, there is a higher use of involuntary coping among 15-17 year olds
as compared to 8-11 year olds, but not 12-14 year olds.
Figure B: Illustrates mother, father, and youth reported engagement coping scores from RSQ with confidence intervals. Distinct
letters distinguish between significantly different group means. Mother scores= a, b; Father scores = c, d; Youth scores = e, f
Figure C: Illustrates mother, father and youth reported involuntary coping scores from RSQ with confidence intervals. Distinct
letters distinguish between significantly different group means. Mother scores= a, b; Father scores = c, d; Youth scores = e, f
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
8 to 11 12 to 14 15 to 17
Mother
Father
Youth
f
d
be
dbe
c
a
Mean Disengagement Coping Scores across Age Groups as
reported by Mother, Father, and Youth
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
8 to 11 12 to 14 15 to 17
Mother
Father
Youth
e
cda
e
da
e
c
a
Mean Engagement Coping Scores across Age Groups as
reported by Mother, Father, and Youth
Mean Involuntary Coping Scores across Age Groups as
reported by Mother, Father, and Youth
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
8 to 11 12 to 14 15 to 17
Mother
Father
Youth
c
c
e
a c
ef a c
f
• There were significant differences across the three age groups regarding levels of
disengagement coping as reported by mother, father, and child:
• According to mothers, 12-14 and 15-17 years old engage in higher levels of
disengagement coping than 8-11 year olds, but do not differ from each other.
• According to fathers, 12-14 and 15-17 years old engage in higher levels of
disengagement coping than 8-11 year olds, but do not differ from each other.
• According to children, 15-17 year olds use higher levels of disengagement
coping than 8-11 year olds and 12-14 year olds. 8-11 year olds and 12-14 do not
significantly differ in their use of disengagement coping.
Description of Significant Differences
a