Profiles of Psychological Well-being and Coping Strategies among University Students

Abstract

In the transactional model of stress, coping responses are the key to preventing the stress response. In this study, the possible role of psychological well-being as a personal determinant of coping strategies in the academic context was analyzed. Specifically, the study has two objectives: (a) to identify different profiles of students according to their level of psychological well-being; and (b) to analyze the differences between these profiles in the use of three coping strategies (positive reappraisal, support-seeking, and planning). Age, gender, and degree were estimated as covariables. A total of 1,072 university students participated in the study. Latent profile analysis was applied to four indices of psychological well-being: self-acceptance, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth. An optimal four-profile solution, reflecting significant incremental shifts from low to very high psychological well-being, was obtained. As predicted, the profile membership distinguished between participants in positive reappraisal, support-seeking, and planning. Importantly, the higher the profile of psychological well-being was, the higher the use of the three coping strategies. Gender differences in coping strategies were observed, but no interaction effects with psychological well-being were found. Age and degree were not relevant in explaining the use of coping strategies. These results suggest that psychological well-being stands as an important personal resource to favor adaptive coping strategies for academic stress.

Linear Relationship between Resilience, Learning Approaches, and Coping Strategies to Predict Achievement in Undergraduate Students

“…It is also important to analyse perceived inconsistencies in hypothetical relationships. In addition, the analyzed variables should be inserted into current learning strategies models, due to the potential of their contribution to knowledge of the role of meta-motivational and meta-affective strategies during university learning and health problems, produced by a maladjusted way of facing academic demands (Fernández-González et al, 2015; Freire et al, 2016). …”

Insomnia and the level of stress among students in Krakow, Poland

“…A Spanish study involving university students also showed gender-related differences. 6 A study assessing the correlation between stress and coping strategies among college students in the USA showed that higher interpersonal stress caused greater use of disengagement coping strategies. 30 The results of our study are similar: respondents with a high level of stress revealed self-blame, behavioral disengagement and substance use more often than lessstressed individuals.…”

“…1 The skill of coping with stress influences quality of life and mental well-being. 5,6 Insomnia, an insufficient amount of sleep or unsatisfying quality of sleep, is often associated with stress. It impairs function in many areas of life.…”

Coping flexibility and eudaimonic well‐being in university students

“…This instrument contains 23 items that assess three academic coping strategies: positive reappraisal , understood as a coping strategy aimed at changing the meaning of a problematic situation, highlighting its positive aspects, and activating positive expectations (10 items; e.g., “When I am faced with a problematic situation, I forget the unpleasant aspects and highlight the positive ones”); support‐seeking , which involves both seeking advice and information on how to resolve a problem as well as seeking understanding and support for the emotional state caused by the problem (seven items; e.g., “When I am faced with a problematic situation, I ask for advice from a family member or a close friend”); and planning , which aims at analyzing and designing an action plan intended to solve a problematic situation (six items; e.g., “When I am faced with a difficult situation, I list the tasks that I have to fulfill, I complete them one at a time, and I do not go to the next step until I have completed the previous one”). This three‐component structure has shown good psychometric properties in previous studies of university populations (Freire, Ferradás, Valle, Núñez & Vallejo, ) and exhibited adequate reliability in the present study, with α = 0.87, 0.91, and 0.83 for positive reappraisal, support‐seeking, and planning, respectively. A five‐point Likert scale ranging from 1 ( never ) to 5 ( always ) was used to collect the participants’ responses.…”