Middle Childhood (7-11 years

Independent Coping Strategies ■ demonstrates less behavioural withdrawal than in early childhood more problem-focused coping development of cognition allows for more advanced and independent coping (see Cognitive Development) emergence of cognitive strategies - coping using cognitive means o cognitive distraction used when behavioural distraction is not possible (e.g. thinking pleasant thoughts whilst sitting in a dentist’s chair) awareness of cognitive distraction strategies increases as the child gets older o self-reassuring statements (e.g. “you can do this”) o cognitive reframing (e.g. focusing on the positive aspects of a stressful situation) o thinks positively about new challenges o increased rumination (e.g. thinking deeply about the problem/stressor) o mental escape strategies - daydreaming, withdrawing mental effort o mental representations of caregiver(s) act as a source of comfort, without the need for the caregiver to be physically present (see Attachment) advances in cognition result in better problem-solving (see Cognitive Development) o rehearses hypothetical responses in their mind o selects the best coping strategy without trying out all of the alternatives, producing a wider range of coping possibilities o uses past experience when selecting the best course of action o enhanced perspective taking allows consideration of interpersonal factors when selecting the best coping method

o information seeking is more organised, flexible and specific to the problem

Coping

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Problem-focused coping Taking practical action to tackle/ remove a stressor in an attempt to reduce distress

Cognitive distraction Thinking about something different

Cognitive reframing Seeing a problem from a different point of view/in a different way

Rumination Thinking deeply. In Psychology, the term rumination refers to fixation upon the causes of a problem, rather than the solution. Rumination does not lead to active problem solving to change the situation and is associated with symptoms of depression

coping strategies become more complex and differentiated o selects the strategy that will most effectively reduce the effects of the stressor uses verbal reassurance to comfort themselves

shows resilience when conflicts arise with peers and thinks of ways to resolve these conflicts (see Socialisation)

Reliance on Others for Coping ■ less reliance on family for emotional support o seeks social support outside the family, as well as from family members (e.g. from peers, teachers and family friends) (see Socialisation) seeks information from adults to help deal with the stressor by the end of middle childhood adults remind the child about effective coping behaviours and the child selects the most suitable strategy for the problem (from approximately 10 years) learns from others’ experiences and uses this to inform their own coping response Resilience An individual’s ability to achieve “good outcomes in spite of serious threats to adaptation or development” (p. 228, Matsen, 2001)