Investigation of the coping strategies utilized by traditional and nontraditional students.

Abstract

With a constant barrage of role ambiguity, time pressures, and seemingly never-ending social problems affecting daily life, stress has become a significant aspect of many individuals' existence. Coping has become increasingly recognized as one of the major interceding variables involved in the effects of stress. The present study investigated the relationship between stress and coping strategies in a university population. Participants were 86 undergraduate student volunteers: 50 traditional students (25 men and 25 women) and 36 nontraditional students (15 men and 21 women) enrolled in introductory and developmental psychology classes. The Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) was used to assess three different coping strategies: task-oriented coping, emotion-oriented coping, and avoidance coping. Results indicated that traditional students utilized avoidance coping strategies significantly more than nontraditional students. There were no significant relationships between gender and coping strategies. Despite having had more experiences with varied life stressors, the relationship between nontraditional students and coping appears to be less direct than predicted. Future research investigating this area should consider including a larger number of participants within each group in order to ensure greater generalizability.