Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Social Work (MSW)

Department

Social Work

Program Name/Specialization

Studies in Social Work Practice

Faculty/School

Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work

First Advisor

Dr. Magnus Mfoafo-M'Carthy

Advisor Role

Professor

Abstract

Young adulthood is marked by significant shifts in identity, responsibility, relationships, and beliefs, presenting individuals with various stressors that often demand more effective coping than before. While the coping literature offers strong quantitative and stressor-specific accounts of coping, existing models overlook the ways that context, individual factors, and decades of prior coping experience influence how individuals understand and iterate on their coping. This study explored how young adults make meaning of their coping trajectories across their life course, exploring the factors that inform the development and evolution of coping over time.

13 Ontario postsecondary students (aged 18-35) participated in semi-structured interviews exploring their coping journeys from early childhood to the present day, examining both the experiences and interpretations that led to coping. 12 participants completed a second member-checking interview to review preliminary findings and include participant interpretation in the analysis.

Reflexive thematic analysis yielded five key themes, mapping the journey from instinctive childhood coping to increasingly intentional and aware coping in adolescence, into a deliberative, iterative coping practice in young adulthood. Central to the findings is a recursive strategy-function-outcome matrix, where the results and consequences of coping behaviour, both wanted and unwanted, inform future strategy selection and revision. These dynamics were further shaped by various individual, interpersonal, and sociocultural factors. Participants’ own definitions of coping reflected deep awareness of coping as a never-ending process, accumulating experience and wisdom over time.

These findings contribute to a growing body of qualitative, narrative coping research by centering participant meaning-making and highlighting the recursive complexity of individual coping development. For social work practice, this study supports person-centred, harm reduction approaches that attend to individual coping histories and experiences, rather than attempting to simplify coping to discrete categories or prescriptive frameworks.

Convocation Year

2027

Convocation Season

Spring

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