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COURSEWORK STRESSIN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS:
Investigating problem solving coping, wishfulthinking coping, anxiety and depression aspredictors of coursework stress.
ANN-MARIE ROYContact:aroy11@caledonian.ac.uk
COURSEWORK STRESS STUDY ANN-MARIE ROY
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ABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to investigate students’ perceiveduniversity coursework stress and whether the use of wishful thinking orproblem-focused coping was related to anxiety and depression levels. Themethod of investigation was a four-part questionnaire. Participants were81 Glasgow Caledonian University students. There were two hypotheses:1) problem solving copers will score lower on the Hospital Anxiety andDepression scale. 2) Those high in perceived coursework stress and whoreveal wishful thinking strategies will have higher anxiety and depressionscores. A multiple regression revealed partial support for bothhypotheses – problem strategies had no relationship to coursework stressbut wishful thinking and anxiety were both positive predictors of stress;however, contrary to hypothesis 2 depression revealed a strong negativeassociation with stress. The conclusion from this study is that wishfulthinkers are also more likely to be anxious; problem focused copers arenot anxious, depressed or stressed; stressed students do not suffer fromdepression. The last finding is possibly because coursework stress is atransient stressor not severe enough to trigger depression.
COURSEWORK STRESS STUDY ANN-MARIE ROY
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INTRODUCTION
Why study stress? Bartlett (1998) points out there is immense empiricalsupport for the belief that stress impacts adversely on physiological andmental health. Ogden, 2000, identifies some areas stress may influence:might cause ulcers through increased acid production in the stomach;increased corticosteriods (linked with arthritis) and catecholamines(linked with formation of blood clots) - both influence the immunesystem. Stress also reduces hormones that repair DNA and fightcarcinogenic materials (Kiecolt-Glaser and Glaser, 1986).Stress is defined as a physiological non-specific reaction to external orinternal demands (Selye, 1974). Thus running to catch a bus is placedin the same category as feeling sick and anxious before a job interview.Alternately it can be described as a relationship between an individualand their environment that is appraised as dangerous and evaluated asbeyond their ability to deal with (Lazarus, 1966). Therefore, it is not theevent (the stressor) that causes stress but the individual’s
perception
,and emotional reaction to it.Buell & Elliot (1979) suggest a link between stress related illnesses andcoping patterns; they believe stress related illnesses are interrelatedbecause all stem from the ability or inability to cope with environmentalstressors. Suzuki, Kumano & Sakano (1998) found a distinction betweenproblem solving and emotion coping strategies in terms of raisedcardiovascular response for those who use problem solving strategies(Obrist, 1981) and raised skin conductance levels for those who useemotion coping strategies (Evans, Evanz, Pillips & Fearn, 1984).
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thank you so much for posting your paper. it will hep us a lot! thanks!