Wednesday, 31 Jul 2024
In a recent webinar, clinical psychologist Eirini Lammi discussed the importance of supporting adolescents to develop productive coping skills, and how the Adolescent Coping Scale for Schools can be a useful tool for students and educators.
What is the Adolescent Coping Scale for Schools?
The Adolescent Coping Scale Schools (ACS-S) is an online questionnaire that has been designed to support young people to examine their coping strategies. Originally published in 1993, the Adolescent Coping Scale by Dr Erica Frydenberg and Prof Ramon Lewis is based on an extensive research body of research. Revised again in 2011, it has now been adapted for a school context.
‘The Adolescent Coping Scale for Schools is a timely inclusion in the suite of questionnaires for schools, particularly in our high schools. The questionnaire assists students to identify how they cope and improve resilience,’ explained Ms Lammi.
‘It helps educators better support students to develop helpful coping strategies in today's fast-paced environment and the changing nature of schools and external environments for adolescents.’
The ACS-S aligns well with the Australian Curriculum 9.0 General Capability: Personal and Social capability, in particular self-awareness and self-management.
Developing coping skills
The ACS-S measures 20 evidence-based coping strategies used by adolescents. The questionnaire provides a profile of the usefulness and frequency of coping strategies that students can self-reflect on and use to develop their own strategies.
Ms Lammi explained the many additional stressors facing adolescents, including decisions around future careers, changing friendships, academic pressures and more.
‘The development of a repertoire of coping skills is fundamental for an adolescent to manage better through these changes in adolescence.’
‘What we want to do is identify their existing coping skills, and then build up a bank of these coping strategies in order for them to be able to use an array of skills that will help them manage better.’
The ACS-S identifies productive strategies such as seeking social support, relaxing diversions, physical recreation or professional help, and non-productive coping strategies such as worry, self-blame, ignoring the problem and keeping to oneself. There are also two additional coping styles noted in the scale: using humour and seeking spiritual support.
Encouraging self-reflection
Once students have received their coping profile, Ms Lammi recommended that they are encouraged to reflect upon their individual coping strategies.
‘We want them to identify the frequency, the infrequency and the helpfulness that they perceive with strategies that they're using for themselves. ‘
‘Within the ACS-S manual and the report there are some reflection questions that are designed for group discussion or class discussion, as well as individual self-learning and insight.’
Ways for schools to use the ACS-S
Ms Lammi suggested that the ACS-S can be used:
- as a universal screening tool for large populations of students
- to measure pre- and post-changes when implementing a social–emotional learning program
- linking to the Best of Coping program and social–emotional learning activities
- as a self-reflection tool to develop problem-solving strategies, to cope with difficulties and challenges
- in a group setting to gather data to facilitate conversations.
Learn more
Watch the complete webinar unpacking the Adolescent Coping Scale for Schools.
Register to attend an upcoming webinar with Dr Erica Frydenberg.
Start your 30-day free trial of the Adolescent Coping Scale for Schools.