We explored factors predicting repeated or hazardous alcohol use among autistic and non-autistic U.S. youth ages 16 to 20 years. Autistic (n = 94) and non-autistic (n = 92) youth completed an online survey. By design, half of each group reported past-year alcohol use. We compared drinking patterns for autistic and non-autistic youth, and within…

The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore how gifted girls perceived and coped with loneliness and the relationship between loneliness and giftedness from their perspectives. Participants were four middle-school gifted girls. A loneliness scale was used to select gifted students with a high level of loneliness experience. In-depth…

Teachers are often at the forefront of efforts to help students struggling socially at school and their support may be particularly critical during the early adolescent developmental period after youth transition to middle school when social concerns become increasingly salient to students. Given their daily interactions with students, teachers…

This qualitative study examined the social coping behaviors and strategies used by fourteen academically high-achieving females before the onset of disordered eating in high school. Ineffective social coping strategies could contribute to a feeling of helplessness, which is a risk factor for eating disorders. All participants were interviewed…

This study examined how peer relationships contribute to young adolescents' adaptation in the face of exposure to community and family violence. It tested hypotheses about peers' role in processes relating exposure to behavioral and psychological outcomes, specifically, aggression and anxiety. Data were collected from 667 middle school students,…

Why do depressive symptoms increase during adolescence? Because inhibition and poor peer relationships predict adolescents' depressive symptoms concurrently, we hypothesized that adolescents who cope with the stresses of this period by becoming increasingly inhibited may experience increasing depressive symptoms both directly and due to increased…

A social-cognitive framework was used to generate and test hypotheses regarding the role of children's causal attributions for peer victimization in predicting how they cope with such experiences. It was hypothesized that attributions would be differentially associated with coping as a function of the direction (i.e., upward, horizontal, or…

The purpose of the study was to examine social functioning and adjustment in peer context in Chinese Canadian and European Canadian children. A sample of elementary school children participated in the study. Data on social functioning, peer acceptance and rejection, and victimization were collected from peer assessments and sociometric…

This study investigated factors associated with social anxiety during early adolescence using multiple informants, including self and peer perspectives, teacher ratings, and direct observations. Negative social performance expectations, maladaptive coping strategies, and social skill deficits were examined as correlates of social anxiety and…

A student attitude questionnaire was given to 1,465 gifted and talented adolescents who identified 5 strategies used to deal with potentially stigmatizing events (cover up, lie, placate, be truthful, and cop-out). The placate coping strategy was the most frequently used across scenarios. (DB)

This paper reports on a study of pupils' views about tackling bullying and discusses the findings in the context of related research on "telling" and other coping strategies. The research was undertaken in two related phases. In the first phase, in-depth focus groups were conducted with pupils in Years 5 and 8 in twelve participating…

A study investigated perceptions of friendships faced by five Australian adolescents with Asperger syndrome. Participants struggled to describe their understanding of friendships, but were better able to describe a number of characteristics of peers who would not be friends. The use of masquerading to cope with social deficits is discussed.…

A study of 25 British students (ages 11-12) found that children with identified special needs did appear to be potentially at risk of being bullied through their social isolation. The most effective way of avoiding being bullied was to ensure there was someone lower down the pecking order than themselves. (CR)

In certain contexts, some academically advanced students employ coping strategies that manipulate the visibility of their ability. These strategies may include denying giftedness, hiding giftedness, gaining favor by helping others, denying the negative impact on peer acceptance, conforming to mask giftedness, and minimizing focus on popularity.…

Argues that establishing the purpose of observed inappropriate social behavior could help in understanding reciprocal relationships. Suggests inappropriate behavior can occur because an unpopular child adopts an interpersonal strategy to cope with rejection. Studies show that differential deficiencies in social skills are associated with the type…