Dealing with a problem; handling a problem triggered by a challenging or threatening situation actively or passively. Active or problem-focused coping involves cognitive effort to master and adverse situation, while passive or emotion-focused coping results in minimising or avoiding the stressor. As a protective factor, successful problem-focused coping is typified by recognizing a particular situation as a source of the problem, knowing which strategies or resources to draw on, and having self-confidence in gaining control. For prelingual infants, coping can involve the ability to communicate needs and interests unambiguously by means of movement and posture, and ‘risk-taking’ behavior as expressed in being attracted by novelty and searching for challenging situations via exploration. The latter appears to be lacking, for example, in both autistic children and those with Down’s syndrome, thus placing them at risk in their cognitive development.
See ‘At-risk’ concept, Attachment theory, Autism, Child-Adult Medical Procedure Interaction Scale (CAMPIS-SF), Down’s syndrome, Problem solving, Protective factor, Resilience, Self-concept, Vulnerability