Differences in age-related appraisals in children's and adolescents' coping processes in a fire emergency situation

The impact of information on children’s and adolescents’ appraisals and coping responses in a simulated fire emergency situation was examined. Seventy-six third graders, and 70 eighth graders were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Changeable, Unchangeable, and Control. All subjects were exposed to a simulated fire emergency Situation. Children and adolescents in the Changeable group were told that they would not likely get burned and that they could change the situation. However, in the Unchangeable group, children and adolescents were told that they would likely get burned and that there was little that they could do to change the situation. Finally, children and adolescents in the Control group were not given information related to their likelihood of getting burned or their ability to change the situation. All subjects were assessed on the Cognitive Behavioral Fire Emergency Response Checklist, a measure of coping, and on the Appraisal Rating Form, a measure of appraisal. The results indicated that children and adolescents in Unchangeable and Control groups exhibited more emotion (efforts directed at regulating their feelings) and fewer problem (efforts directed at changing the situation) focused coping than children and adolescents in the Changeable group. These findings are, in part, attributed to the type of information the groups received. Additionally, eighth graders exhibited more emotion and fewer problem focused coping than third graders. Eighth graders having greater observational learning opportunities than third graders is offered as a possible explanation for the above finding. Overall, the results suggest that information as well as age-related differences impact children’s and adolescents’ functioning in emergency situations.