| Abstract: | The aim of this study was to examine coping with loneliness during early, middle, and late childhood, which is a highly neglected research issue. Children's perceptions of coping with loneliness and coping with real loneliness experiences in the past were investigated. Interviews were conducted with 180 second, fourth, and sixth graders from Athens, Greece. Qualitative analyses of children's responses were done on the basis of a recent conceptualization of coping with stress in childhood and adolescence (Skinner & Zimmer-Gembeck, 2007 Skinner, E. A. and Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. 2007. The development of coping. Annual Review of Psychology, 58: 119–144. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), which was supported by the data. Statistically significant age and gender differences were found. Results are discussed from the viewpoint of the two literatures—coping and loneliness—that this study attempted to bring together, and suggestions for future research are made. |
