ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief overview of the state of research on coping with illness in adolescence. An analysis of research findings on adolescent coping shows that despite the low incidence of illnesses in this developmental period, there is a considerable body of research on issues related to coping with illness. Coping with illness is one of the most frequently studied topics on adolescent coping, accounting for about 24% of all studies in this area. Early studies on coping with illness showed considerable methodological weaknesses related to definitions, operationalizations, and data collection. Developmental factors were largely neglected in research on coping with chronic illness in adolescence. In contrast, families experiencing little conflict and exhibiting high levels of cohesion and organization, as well as open expression of feelings, contribute to successful coping with the illness. Despite the enormous variation in coping competencies and life circumstances, chronically ill adolescents exhibit great similarities in their styles of coping.
