Relationship between Coping Strategies and Psychological Distress among Adolescents in Chitral

Abstract

Adolescence is an important developmental stage, marked by significant biological, social, and emotional transformations that can greatly affect mental well-being. The World Health Organization (2021) reports that around 1 in 7 adolescents face mental disorders, this highlights the importance of understanding various coping strategies that could be linked with psychological distress. Studies show that effective coping mechanisms can moderate the negative impacts of stress, whereas maladaptive strategies may worsen psychological distress (Folkman et al., 2004). While there is an increasing amount of research on adolescent mental health, there remains a significant gap in studies specifically examining the relationship between coping strategies and psychological distress among adolescents. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between coping strategies and psychological distress among adolescents in Chitral. This survey-based research involved 400 adolescents aged 17 to 19, recruited through convenience sampling from various colleges in Chitral. It was hypothesized that there would be a relationship between coping strategies and psychological distress among adolescents. DASS-21 scale (Aslam et al.,2017) will be used to measure psychological distress and coping strategies will be measured though Brief Cope scale (Carver, 1997). This result of this study indicated significant negative correlation between psychological distress and problem-focused coping (r = -196*) and significant positive correlation with avoidant coping (r = .419**) as well as emotional-focused coping (r = .409). These finding developed our understanding the way adolescents utilized coping strategies and its relationship with psychological distress. These finding help teacher parents and health professional to understand and addressed adolescents’ needs and promotion of healthy environment to alleviate psychological distress.