Purpose and coping with adversity: A repeated measures, mixed-methods study with young adolescents

Introduction: Purpose in life is associated with positive outcomes following adversity, but the mechanisms of this relationship are unclear. In this repeated measures, mixed-methods study, we examined the relationship of purpose to coping with adversity among young adolescents.

Methods: A sample of 1357 adolescents completed a survey about purpose, negative life events, and positive reframing coping four times at six month intervals. A sub-sample of 91 survey respondents participated in an interview. Surveys were analyzed using fixed-effects and mixed-effects modeling to test the relationship between purpose and coping over time. Interviews were analyzed for purpose, adversity, and coping to understand this relationship as perceived by the participant.

Results: Survey results indicate that purpose and positive reframing coping are related and change together over time. Interview results suggest that purpose can be a response to negative experiences.

Conclusions: There are likely underlying factors or processes driving the relationship between purpose and positive reframing coping. Some of the potential underlying factors and processes are discussed.