Does One-Size-Fit-All? Gender in the Context of Early Adolescent Coping Style and Internalizing Symptoms

Background: Rising rates of depression and anxiety among youth represent a significant public health issue with the potential to negatively influence the wellbeing of adolescents and young adults (Keyes et al., 2019). Early adolescence is a critical developmental period to equip youth with skills to enhance wellbeing and lower risks of internalizing symptoms throughout adolescence. A nuanced understanding of mechanisms, such as coping, among early adolescents across subgroups is needed to augment prevention and treatment efforts and address the needs of all adolescents. This study examined the reciprocal relationships between early adolescent active and avoidant coping styles and internalizing symptoms among middle school students over one year using multilevel modeling, with a specific focus on exploring differences by gender.

Methods: This secondary data analysis utilized a longitudinal dataset of a cluster, randomized trial of a preventive intervention from 24 racially/ethnically diverse middle schools in a large public-school district. Data from the 7^th and 8^th grade time points from students in the twelve control schools (N=1,273) were included. Measures were psychometrically sound. Separate male and female subgroup analyses using multilevel regression models in Mplus were utilized to identify how active and avoidant coping skills in 7^th grade affected later internalizing symptoms after one year and how internalizing in 7^th grade was related to coping style after one year by gender, controlling for race/ethnicity and stressful events.

Results: The sample was 49% female, with approximately 39% Latinx/Hispanic, 23% Black/African American, 12% Asian, 9% White, and 16% other or multiracial. Active coping skill use in male (B= -.01, p=.04) and female students (B= -.13, p=.002) in 7^th grade was significantly negatively associated with depressive symptoms in 8^th but not anxiety, while avoidant coping in 7^th grade was associated with anxiety symptoms in 8^th for males only (B=.01, p=.02) but not depressive symptoms for either subgroup. Conversely, anxiety symptoms in 7^th grade were associated with later active coping skills for male students only (B=1.62, p<.001), yet a relationship between 7^th grade anxiety symptoms and subsequent avoidant coping skills (B=1.16, p< .001) was only observed among females. Depressive symptoms in 7^th grade were also differentially associated with coping style in 8^th grade by gender, with depressive symptoms being negatively related to later active coping among male students (B= -1.34, p<.001) while being positively associated with avoidant coping among female students (B=.99, p<.001).

Implications: The results suggest that there are unique associations between types of coping skill use and symptoms of depression and anxiety between early adolescent males and females. In particular, the relationship between anxious and depressive symptoms and subsequent coping skill use has not been frequently examined in the literature, and this exploration by gender illuminated differing pathways, which has implications for both prevention and treatment within this age group. Future research within child and adolescent mental health and coping, including qualitative research, should intentionally explore how youth differ developmentally and across groups to emphasize meeting each of their needs and working with them to find effective strategies that enhance their wellbeing and outcomes.