Chinese children's appraisals of and coping responses to stressors: Relations to child temperament and behavior problems

The relations among children's appraisal/coping/coping efficacy to stressors, child temperament, and behavior problems were examined in a two-wave (3.8 years apart) prospective study of school-age children from Beijing China. Four hundred and twenty-five children at Wave 1 (collected in 2000) and 612 children (including 382 from the Wave 1 sample) at Wave 2 (collected in 2004) and their parents and teachers participated in the study. Child temperament (effortful control, impulsivity, anger/frustration, positive emotionality, and fearfulness) was assessed with parents' and teachers', or children's reports at Wave 1 and/or Wave 2. The number of stressors and children's appraisal/coping/coping efficacy were assessed with children's self-reports at Wave 2. Externalizing (at both waves) and internalizing problems (at Wave 2 only) were assessed by parents', teachers', and children's reports. Results of structural equation modeling and mediational analyses were consistent with the hypotheses that: (a) a greater number of stressors was associated with higher threat appraisals, greater use of avoidant coping, and lower perceived coping efficacy, which in turn increased children's risks for externalizing and internalizing problems; (b) children with temperamental low effortful control, high impulsivity, or high fearfulness tended to exhibit higher threat appraisals, lower active coping, or lower perceived coping efficacy, and appraisals and coping efficacy partly mediated the relations between temperament and behavior problems; and (c) children with low effortful control or high anger/frustration tended to experience a greater number of life stressors, which in turn increased their risk for behavior problems. The findings provide insights into the developmental processes underlying the impact of stressors on Chinese children's psychological adjustment and children's temperament as a source of individual differences in their experience of stressors and appraisal/coping/coping efficacy. Thus, the findings have important implications for prevention/treatment programs aimed at reducing the risk of developing mental health problems for children experiencing significant life stressors.