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The Relationship Between Extracurricular Activity Involvement and Coping Among Urban African

American YouthKhushbu Dalal, Allison Shimer, Ashley Doubet, Edna Romero M.A., & Maryse Richards Ph.D

Loyola University ChicagoConclusions and Future Directions

References

Results

The results suggest that involvement in certain types of extracurricular or academic activities are important predictors of coping among African American urban youth. It was found that increased time in school activities and increased time in physical activities predicted increases in avoidant coping and problem-focused coping, respectively. Furthermore, participation in structured after school activities was marginally predictive of decreases in avoidant coping. These findings suggest that involvement in academic and physical activities could help boost effective coping strategies among urban African- American youth. Future interventions should focus on ways to increase involvement in extracurricular activities as a way to increase effective coping. Additionally, further research should see what effects avoidant coping would have on urban African American adolescents over an extended period of time, as well as examine how the different components of avoidant coping affect youth. For example, there are two different components that are a part of avoidant coping: maladaptive avoidance (e.g. extreme anxious avoidance) and adaptive avoidance (e.g. sensibly taking oneself out of a dangerous situation; Gaylord-Harden, Cunningham, Holmbeck, & Grant, 2010). African American youth who are particularly vulnerable to stress may use avoidant coping as a means to stay safe from stressors in their environment. Thus, future studies should identify how each type of avoidant coping behavior is different in long-term use. It is possible that some youth decide to use avoidant coping over a long period of time when it is no longer needed. It could also be the case that the stressors the youth is facing need a more active style of coping, instead of avoidance.Although our findings didn’t indicate any differences in gender, future research should continue to assess the constructs of gender to further analyze data.

Studies have shown that involvement in academic and extracurricular activities have positive effects on developmental outcomes of adolescents (Barber, Stone, & Hunt 2003; Feldman &Matjasko 2005, Bohnert et al. 2008). The link between extracurricular activities and positive development is arguably due to increased opportunities for promoting self-esteem, social competence, and general coping that extracurricular activities provide. Despite these conclusions, research has neglected to examine whether the relationships hold true for ethnic minority groups who are particularly vulnerable to stress and difficulties coping. Specific types or forms of coping may also be differentially influenced by involvement in academic or extracurricular activities. One type of coping adolescence use is avoidant coping. Avoidant coping is generally seen as a negative way for kids to deal with their problems because it involves completely blocking out the stressor. However, research has shown that African-American youth use avoidant coping as a means of feeling safe and avoiding the dangers involved in high risk urban environments (Edlynn, Gaylord-Harden, Richards, & Miller, 2008). Thus, much of the coping research has overlooked the environmental factors that are relevant to ethnic minority youth and that contribute to the protective or beneficial role of certain forms of coping.To address these limitations, this study examined the relationship between involvement in academic and extracurricular activities and coping among a sample of urban low-income African American adolescents.

Regression analyses revealed that involvement in school activities, such as engaging in school activities, including academic group work, during 6th grade predicted more avoidant coping in 7th grade even after controlling for 6th grade coping, B = .15, β = .31, t(182) = 2.26, p =.025. Participation in structured after- school activities was a marginally significant predictor of decreased avoidant coping in 7 th grade, B = -.11, β = -.26, t(182) = -1.93, p = .057. Finally, spending time in physical activities, i.e., sports, during 7 th grade predicted increased problem-focused coping in 8 th grade, B = .08, β = .16, t(164) = 2.12, p = .036. Regression analyses did not reveal any significant relation between extracurricular activity involvement and emotion-focused coping in this study.

Barber, B. L., Eccles, J. S., Stone, M. (2001). Whatever Happened to the Jock, the Brain and the Princess?: Adult Pathways Linked to

Adolescent Activity Involvement and Social Identity. Journal of Adolescent Research, 16, 429-455. Bohnert, A. M., Richards, M. H., Kolmodin, K. E., Lakin, B. L. (2008). Young Urban African American Adolescents’ Experience of Discretionary Time Activities. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 18(3), 517-539. Conner, T., Tennen, H., Fleeson, W., Barrett-Feldman, L. (2009). Experience sampling methods: A modern idiographic approach to personality research. Social and Personality Compass, 3, 1-22. DOI: 10.1111/j1751-9004.Eccles, J. S., Barber, B. L., Stone, M., & Hunt, J. (2003). Extracurricular activities and adolescent development. Journal of Social Issue, 59(4), 865-889.Edlynn, E., Gaylord-Harden, N., Richards, M., & Miller S. (2008). African-

American inner-city youth exposed to violence: coping skills as a moderator for anxiety. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 78(2),249-258. DOI: 10.1037/a0013948Gaylord-Harden, N., Cunningham, J., Holmbeck, G., & Grant, K. (2010).

Suppressor effect in coping research with African American adolescents from low-income communities. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78(6), 843-855. DOI: 10.1037/a0020063Jose, P. E., Huntsinger, C. S. (2005). Moderation and mediation effects

of coping by Chinese American and European American adolescents. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 166, 16-43.

It is hypothesized that African-American youth involved in structured, after-school activities would have increased coping skills.

B β t pAvoidance Coping (7th grade)Percent time in school activity (6th grade)

Percent time in physical activity (6th grade)

Percent time in structured activities (6th grade)

.153

-.023

-.109

.309

-.033

-.261

2.26

-.467

-1.91

.025*

.641

.057

Problem Focused Coping (8th grade)Percent time in school activity (7th grade)

Percent time in physical activity (7th grade)

Percent time in structured activities (7th grade)

.049

.075 .002

.120

.163

.006

.936

2.12

.044

.351

.036*

.965

In an effort to examine the data further, post hoc analyses were conducted to examine if the relationship between involvement in academic and extracurricular activities and avoidant coping held true across gender. Results indicated there were no gender differences.

Hypotheses

Note (*) p<.05

Table 2. Predicting coping from involvement in activities

Introduction

MethodsParticipants 227 Students6th grade students were followed into 7th and 8th gradeMean Age at 6th grade: 11.656 different Chicago Public Schools 37% Male, 63% FemaleProcedure Youth from 6 Chicago Public Schools in urban neighborhoods were recruited for a longitudinal study. All schools were located in high violence, low income communities. Permission forms were handed out for parents to review and return.Measures: Experience Sampling Method (ESM: Csikszentmihalyi and Larson 1987; Larson 1989; Conner et al., 2009); Data were collected using ESM, programmed watches and self-report forms were utilized. Watches were designed to signal at random twice during school hours and every 90 minutes before/after school. After each signal, students were asked to answer questions regarding their activities, their companions, and their general adjustment. Activities were categorized as school activities, i.e. tutoring, homework help, physical activities, i.e. sports, and structured activities, i.e. clubs.Adolescent Integrated Stress and Coping Scale (AISCS; Jose & Huntsinger, 2005);This scale is compromised of three subscales: problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidant coping.Participants were asked to identify the most violent event they experienced in the past year and rate how often they imposed coping strategies. Responses were measured on a 4 point scale: 0=not at all, 1 = a little, 2= some, or 3= a lot.The scale consisted of 24 items. Subscales included 5 items for emotion-focused coping, 6 items for avoidant coping and 5 items for problem-focused coping. Example items include: I talked to someone in order to feel better, I went off by myself to get away from other people, and I thought about all of the things I could do to make the situation better.

1 2 3 4 5 6

1. Problem-focused approach

2. Emotion-focused approach

3. Avoidance

4. percent time in school activity5. percent time physical activity6. percent time in structured activities

Table1. Correlation Table