Resiliency, social support, and coping in rural low-income Appalachian adolescents from two racial groups

Abstract

In this study an attempt was made to examine social support and coping in relation to resiliency among a sample of rural, low-income Appalachian adolescents of African-American and White races. Fifty-three African-American and 60 White 10th grade students completed the Perceived Social Support Scale for Family and Friends, the Ways of Coping Checklist, and Psychosocial Inventory of Ego Strengths. Utilizing regression analyses, it was shown that social support from family and problem-focused, avoidance, and wishful-thinking forms of coping significantly predicted resiliency. Race and gender distinctions were minimal in respect to the measured variables in the study. Research in the future should include continued examination of rural and diverse samples, the use of various sampling procedures, and longitudinal assessments of resiliency.