Coping, morele ontwikkeling en delinquentie bij adolescenten

Abstract

Samenvatting: In this thesis the relationship between the use of coping (problem solving) strategies and delinquency among adolescents was researched. Coping strategies were differentiated between active coping, which is aimed at resolving everyday problems in a constructive way, and passive coping, which involves more defensive and passive behaviours such as escaping from a stressful event. The relationship between moral development and delinquency were also investigated. Moral development, in this study, is known as the ‘cognitive development theory’ by Kohlberg. Expectations, supported by literature, are; delinquents use significantly more passive coping than non-delinquents, and non-delinquents use more active coping than delinquents. Another expectation was that non-delinquents are significantly more moral developed than delinquents. The final expectation is that there is a positive correlation between moral development and active coping and a negative correlation between moral development and passive coping. Our sample included 230 adolescent respondents (age: M = 16.52 years, SD = 1.14), of which 100 were delinquents who participated in an, in-patient or out-patient, intervention program at a health care center to reduce antisocial behavior, while 130 were non-delinquents of the same age range. Results suggested that delinquents use significant more passive coping than non-delinquents. 25% of the variation is explained in this difference. Other results suggested that non-delinquents are significantly more moral developed than delinquents. 11% of the variation is explained in this difference. The results suggests that there is no significant correlation between moral development and active coping. There is a significant negative correlation between moral development and passive coping. 25.2% of the variation is explained in this correlation.