Investigating Stress Levels and Coping Abilities Amongst Employed College Students

Stress and coping are factors related to emotional strain which can have an impact on both mental and physical well-being. The current study aimed to identify whether any relationship or difference between stress and coping levels existed when comparing employed and unemployed college students. As expected, students who were employed scored higher on measures of perceived stress, with women reporting significantly higher stress levels than their male counterparts. This study aimed to strengthen the research already conducted in this field, with a sample of students recruited from colleges around the Republic of Ireland (N=79). Final year college students did not display higher levels of stress or lower levels of coping than individuals in other years. This model used within this study explained the variance pertaining to levels of stress and coping abilities. These findings have important implications for the development of increased understanding towards student pressures and contributing stress factors. Throughout this study, effective coping skills and stress reduction methods as well as the important factors which contribute to the perceived stress of participants are discussed and further implications are suggested.