ABSTRACT
In the dynamic interplay between person and environment, coping skills are an important factor in adaptational outcomes such as subjective well being, social functioning, and physical and emotional health (Lazarus & Folkman, 1987). Dežcits in social skills and social competence, as well as in coping and adaptability, can lead to adjustment problems and behavioral disorders in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood (Elliott & Gresham, 1993; Kolbe, Collins, Cortese, 1997; Zins & Wagner, 1997, Spence, 2003). The Safe School Initiative (Vossekuil, Fein, Reddy, Borum, Modzeleski, 2002) examined 37 incidents of targeted school violence and, while they did not žnd any specižc prožle that žt a student likely to act out in this manner, they did žnd that most of the students had been victims of bullying, persecution, or injury by others prior to the attack. Although most had not received formal mental health evaluations they did exhibit suicidal attempts or thoughts, and had difžculty coping with signižcant losses or personal failure (Vossekuil et al., 2002, Leary, Kowalski, Smith, Phillips, 2003). The žndings of the Safe School Initiative have prompted schools to look at social skills and coping skills as areas to address within the school curriculum in order to provide a safer school environment.
