Coping profiles among Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong: A person-centered approach

This study examines coping profile among Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong using a person-centered approach.: Data were collected using Seiffge-Krenke's Coping Across Situations Questionnaire from 1,116 Secondary One and Secondary Three students attending fifteen schools in Hong Kong. Cluster analysis was performed on active, withdrawal, and internal coping. Subjects were classified into four profiles, namely Active Copers, Active-Internal Copers, Internal-Withdrawal Copers, and Undifferentiated Copers. Comparisons across profile groups using MANCOVA with perceived stress as a covariate showed significant group differences in the psychosocial adjustment indicators of self-esteem, depression, deviant behavior, and prosocial behavior. Active Copers and Active-Internal Copers consistently outperformed Internal-Withdrawal Copers and Undifferentiated Copers in psychosocial adjustment, thus supporting the maladaptive nature of withdrawal coping. Furthermore, internal coping was found to play a supplementary role in promoting psychosocial adjustment by excluding maladaptive strategies and supplementing adaptive strategies. Our findings support the significance of examining coping profiles across individuals, and provide insight into the development of adaptive coping profiles among Chinese adolescents.