Empirical research on rural teenagers’ strategies of coping with difficult life situations

Abstract

The article presents the research on teenagers’ strategies of coping with difficult life situations in rural societies. The authors examined the characteristics of schoolchildren’s behavior in the process of choosing constructive and non-constructive strategies.

The empirical data of the research were analyzed according to the following criteria: way of reacting on problems in life; level of psychophysical anxiety; self-esteem; emotionality; communicative and organizational skills. Based on the research results, all the respondents were divided into 3 groups in compliance with types of strategies chosen for coping with difficult life situations.

Teenagers demonstrated a number of difficulties: situational and personal anxiety; lack of self-confidence; low or high self-esteem; buck passing; dependence on surrounding people. The data of the research confirmed the necessity of developing and implementing a program aimed at the forming of constructive strategies of coping with difficult life situations for rural teenagers.