The Effect of Gender on Stress Coping Strategies in University Students

Introduction: Over the past years, stress among university students has always remained a subject of attention for academics since it affects not only their academic performance but also their physical and psychological fitness. Male and female students observe and respond to stressors inversely as a result of their dissimilarities in assessing stressful circumstances. Aims: The study sought to examine the effect of gender on stress-coping strategies in university students. Methods: The study adopted a cross-sectional design. The Stress Coping Inventory Style (SCSI) was used to ascertain the type of coping strategies used by students when confronted with academic stress. A total of twenty-eight (28) questions were administered to ninety (90) students at the University of South Wales. Data were analyzed using SPSS, with results presented using the Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) to determine the statistical significance difference between variables and the level of analysis in this study was the individual given that groups were being compared based on gender. Statistical significance was set at 0.05, with 95% confidence intervals assessed. Results: The study found that there was a statistical difference between females and males on stress coping strategies. “F(4,85) = 2.63, p=0.04; Wilks’ λ = 0.890”. Conclusion: Gender has a significant effect on stress-coping strategies in university students.