The life events and coping inventory: an assessment of stress in children

Abstract

This article reports the development of the Life Events and Coping Inventory (LECI), an instrument that assesses the experience of life stress and the use of coping behaviors in 12-14 year old children. Six hundred eighty-one child Ss participated in item generation, item rating, reliability procedures, and validity procedures for the LECI. Indices of life stress were correlated at a statistically significant level (p less than 0.01) with measures of state and trait anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms, depression and a variety of behavior problems. A broad range of coping strategies was evidenced, with strategies that provide distraction from the stress event the most useful. The results are discussed in light of current theoretic literature on stress and well-being.