Chapter 3: The Best of Coping: Improving Coping Strategies in Italian Adolescents

During adolescence young people can find themselves having to cope with many stressful situations that require problem-solving abilities and coping strategies. Yet, adolescents with poorly developed skills in these areas and inadequate self-efficacy beliefs risk suffering from psychological stress and maladjustment problems. The purpose of the present work was to verify the degree to which The Best of Coping training program (Frydenberg & Brandon, 2002) positively influenced the problem-solving abilities and self- efficacy beliefs of a group of adolescents at maladjustment risk. During the pre and posttest phases, 26 participants filled out instruments assessing self- efficacy, problem-solving abilities, and coping strategies. Following the pretest phase, the experimental group students participated in the training program. Overall, results of this pilot study showed significant stability for the experimental group in self reported problem-solving abilities and self- efficacy beliefs, as opposed to the control group, which showed a decline in several areas. The Best of Coping training program can help adolescents learn a different approach to stressful and problematic situations. Moreover, primary prevention with at-risk individuals should include more targeted training and support.