Adjustment and coping skills among adolescent school children

Background: Adolescents often face adjustment difficulties that impact their emotional, social and educational development. Understanding their coping styles is essential for designing effective support systems. Methods: The study sampled 207 high school students (143 boys, 64 girls) aged 10–19 from a Diwakar Model School of Ghaziabad. After obtaining informed consent and demographic details, participants were assessed using the Adjustment Inventory for School Students (AISS) and the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) inventory. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, Levene’s test and independent samples t-test. Results: Findings indicated adjustment challenges across emotional, social and educational domains. Both boys and girls predominantly preferred problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies. No significant gender differences were observed, except in the educational adjustment domain. Conclusions: Adolescents represent a psychologically vulnerable group. Their adjustment issues and coping preferences warrant careful attention from educators, counsellors and policymakers to foster healthier developmental outcomes.