Diferencias en la aplicación de estrategias de afrontamiento adolescente entre alumnos hombres y mujeres del nivel medio superior / Differences in the implementation of adolescent coping strategies between men and women students upper level environment

RESUMEN

La adolescencia está caracterizada por cambios tanto físicos como psicológicos y tiene como resultado la identidad y la madurez requeridas para la edad adulta. Los adolescentes inician una etapa de situaciones a las cuales deben dar respuesta, siendo el contexto escolar solo uno de los escenarios en los cuales ellos manifiestan su forma de afrontar las problemáticas o situaciones cotidianas. El afrontamiento ha sido estudiado por diversos autores. Esta investigación está sustentada en la propuesta de Frydenberg y Lewis (1993) que postula al afrontamiento como un proceso cognitivo y afectivo que permite a la persona responder de manera particular a un estímulo y esta respuesta a su vez le permite la adaptación social de acuerdo a su contexto. El objetivo del estudio realizado fue comparar los estilos y las estrategias de afrontamiento adolescente de acuerdo al sexo. Se trabajó con una muestra de estudiantes del nivel medio superior de una escuela pública del Estado de México (México). El rango de edad fue de 15-16 años con un promedio de 15.28 +- .48, siendo 268 hombres y 367 mujeres. Se aplicó la Escala de Afrontamiento para Adolescentes de Frydenberg y Lewis (1993). Los resultados presentan diferencias significativas en los estilos con respecto al sexo, ya que en los hombres es el estilo que presenta las medias más altas, y un puntaje de 70 a 89 indica que éste se emplea a menudo. También se encontraron diferencias en algunas de las estrategias de afrontamiento. Lo anterior permitió concluir que en los adolescentes la manera de afrontar sus problemas está relacionada con sus vivencias pasadas y el afrontamiento es una manera de autorregulación, corroborando así las diferencias del uso de afrontamiento entre hombres y mujeres adolescentes.

ABSTRACT

Adolescence is the stage that is characterized by both physical and psychological changes that will result in the identity and maturity required for adulthood. The adolescents begin a stage of situations to which to respond, being the school context only one of the scenarios in which they manifest their way of facing the problems or everyday situations. In this,as in all contexts, adolescents need to have personal resources that allow them to cope with problems and reduce stress. Coping has been studied from several authors, so this research is based on the proposal of Frydenberg and Lewis (1993) which postulate coping as a cognitive and affective process that allows the person to respond in a particular way to a stimulus and this answer in turn will allow you or not the social adaptation according to its context. It has been pointed out that while coping is dynamic, not all forms of coping can be the best, everything will depend on the moment and what is faced. However, the more unproductive the ways of coping, the mental health of the adolescent and of every individual will be negatively affected. The coping for Frydenberg and Lewis (1993) is divided in three same styles that derive in 18 strategies. Coping is considered with reference to the problem as the type of coping that allows to give solution and to diminish the tension. With respect to coping with others this will allow the search for support in others that allow to decrease the tension and with that to pretend the problem. And finally the non-productive coping that refers to only reducing tension but not solving the problem and even leads to self-incrimination. The objective of the study was to compare styles and strategies of adolescent coping according to sex. For this purpose we worked with a sample of students of the upper middle level of public school of the State of Mexico, Mexico. The age range was 15-16 years with an average of 15.28 +- .48, with 268 men and 367 women. The Frydenberg and Lewis Teen Coping Scale (1993) was applied. The results showed significant differences in problem solving and non-productive styles. While the reference style to others did not differ in sex, differences were found in some coping strategies, noting that women employed more non-productive strategies than men, and it was corroborated that men tended to To employ more strategies that correspond to the problem-solving style, as is the case of physical distraction and relaxing amusements that has been a factor reported in several studies. This allowed us to conclude that in adolescents the way to face their problems is related to their past experiences and coping is a way of self-regulation. Corroborating the differences in the use of coping among adolescent men and women. In addition to allowing new lines of research to be proposed that favorably impact not only on the school context of the student but in all its surroundings. Considering that if the confrontation is not unique and static, but that this is going to be exercised according to the situation and the previous experiences, one would have to contemplate the relation with the mental health. Pointing to this last aspect, since the theoretical contributions point out that when it is not adequately addressed, it puts at risk mental health and reflects the lack of psychological resources to handle life. It would be necessary to investigate more about the social demands of gender role, since when differences are found between men and women, this becomes a factor worthy of being studied, but no longer as being a man or a woman but about the behaviors allowed according to the role of socially assigned gender.