A longitudinal study of age and gender differences of stressors and coping strategies in school-aged children.

This 2-year longitudinal study examines age and gender differences and changes in stressors and coping strategies of school-aged children. The sample consisted of children aged 8 to 13 years, from an elementary parochial school in a small, rural Appalachian town. The severity of stressors decreased significantly with age over a 2-year period, although the frequency of occurrence did not change. In general, the coping strategies "watch television" and "yell or scream" were used more frequently by boys, and "cry" or "cuddle my pet" were used more frequently by girls. Some interventions to improve children's repertoire of effective coping strategies are suggested.