Coping strategies and subjective wellness in adolescents undergoing a school-based drug rehabilitation program : a longitudinal study

Abstract

Numerous studies have examined stress coping and some extents of wellbeing in adolescents using drugs, however, not many have assessed changes in these constructs in adolescents undergoing drug rehabilitation. The present study aims to (1) examine changes in coping and domains of subjective wellbeing, and (2) explore potential causal relationship between changes in coping and subjective wellbeing in 111 students currently studying at Christian Zheng Sheng College (ZS). The present study was of cross-sequential design, where students completed the same set of relevant questionnaires at baseline, 4 months, 8 months and 12 months later. Latent Growth Modelling (LGM) and cross-lagged regression analyses were conducted to examine changes in these constructs across time and potential causality between the observed changes. Results from the LGMs suggest that students who have stayed longer at ZS had higher baseline in self-perceived success in important domains in life and overall satisfaction with life than those who have stayed for shorter duration of time. Students who have stayed longer at ZS also had more active coping and positive reframing than those who have stayed for shorter duration of time. Results from the cross-lagged regression models suggest that one’s self-perceived success in important areas of life and overall satisfaction with life possibly predicts one’s use of adaptive strategies, for instance, accommodation (i.e., positive reframing and acceptance) and problem solving (i.e., active coping and planning) in coping with stress. Overall, the results from the present study highlighted the potential of enhancing adolescents’ subjective wellbeing in promoting adaptive stress coping in the drug rehabilitation programme.