Does a correlation exist between coping skills and economic realities?

Coping skills are the physiological and behavioral strategies that one employs to negotiate stressful events. (Moskowitz & Folkman, 2004) Those of lower socioeconomic status are exposed to chronic, uncontrollable stress endemics in impoverished environments. (Wadsworth, 2015) Therefore, it can be hypothesized that there is an inverse relationship between adaptive coping skills of and socioeconomic realities. Coping is the body’s way of responding to stress. Any type of perceived threat that a person encounters cause a neuroendocrine reaction of events. It is proposed that atypical self-regulation to chronic, uncontrollable stress is directly associated with environmental adversity. (Wadsworth, 2015) Conceptual framework of Neuman Systems Theory will be used to identifying the key characteristics of the concept, identifying antecedents and consequences of the concept and apply everything to a model, contrary or borderline case. This study is an integrative literature review aimed at establishing a positive relationship between maladaptive coping strategies and impoverished communities. Some studies such as Barbarin, et al. (2001), Brown, et al. (2005) and Yoshikawa, et al. (2012) revealed a significant relationship between maladaptive coping strategies associated with attention problems, aggression, anxious-depression and oppositional behavior and the community violence and victimization of impoverish environments. The literature review revealed an overlapping theme of direct proportionality between maladaptive coping strategies and onset of depression symptoms. Therefore, nurses should see coping skills of the patients not from a position of judgment, but from one rooted in understanding. Further research should be conducted to determine preventative measure for maladaptive coping strategies resulting from environmental stressors.