Relationship of Appraised Stress, Coping Strategies, and Negative Affect among College Students

摘要

Within a transactional model of stress framework, the high levels of depression, anxiety, and other forms of negative affect reported by college students suggests that many students are ill equipped to cope with stress. The aim of this study was to examine a structural model depicting multivariate relationships between self-report measures of students’ appraised stress (Perceived Stress Scale), dispositional coping strategies (Brief COPE), and negative affect (Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scales). Results derived from a cross-sectional sample of college students (573 females, 551 males) indicated that appraised stress, relative to dispositional coping, was the key predictor of negative affect. Overall, the structural model tested is a useful heuristic device to identify and target specific areas for stress intervention among college students.