| Learning Objective #1: Identify gender differences in cognition of adolescents | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Discuss implications of gender-specific cognitions for practice and research with adolescents |
Objective/Design--Puberty transforms the body of a girl into a woman and the body of a boy into a man. There are also multiple changes in relationships, self-esteem, and the capacity for abstract thought. The gender specific physical differences are undisputed. However, gender differences in cognition, or thinking, of adolescents has been discussed with much controversy. This secondary analysis of a cross sectional survey will explore gender differences in adolescent cognition. The parent study was "Intervention to Promote Mental Health in Rural Youth" (NINR, NIH Grant #RO1NR03616; K. Puskar, Primary Investigator). The theoretical framework was a combination of Lerner's Model of Developmental Contextualism and Lazarus' Theory of Stress and Coping. Population/Sample-This cross sectional sample of 624 adolescents was from four rural schools in Pennsylvania. Students were 14 to 18 years of age and equally divided by gender. Concepts/Variables-Gender differences were explored in optimism, perception of life events, perception of social support from friends and family,and cognitive coping skills. Methods/Findings-The instruments included the Life Orientation Test-Revised, Perceived Social Support Scale, and the Coping Response Inventory-Youth Form. Analysis involved descriptive statistics, t-tests, and effect size calculations. Conclusions-Adolescent girls are more likely than boys to attribute and explain the cause of events in a negative manner. Girls are also more likely than boys to cope with negative events through cognitive processes. Positive reappraisal and logical analysis(cognitive approach) were used less frequently than cognitive avoidance and cognitive acceptance/resignation(cognitive avoidance)by both boys and girls. Girls also reported more perceived support by friends than boys.There was no gender difference in perceived family support or level of optimism. Implications for health promotion with an emphasis upon depression will be discussed.
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Sigma Theta Tau International