Academic stress and coping behaviours among college students

Abstract

This study examined academic stress and coping behaviors among psychology and non-psychology college students. The objectives were to assess differences in stress levels and coping strategies between the two groups. A purposive sample of 30 students from colleges in Bareilly was selected, with equal representation from psychology (n = 15) and non-psychology (n = 15) disciplines. Data were collected using the Academic Stress Questionnaire (Akram, Khan, & Baby, 2013) and the Coping Scale (Hamby, Grych, & Banyard, 2013). Statistical analyses included mean, standard deviation, and independent t-tests. Results indicated that psychology students reported slightly higher academic stress (M = 45.8, SD = 15.49) compared to non-psychology students (M = 38.6, SD = 14.36), although this difference was not statistically significant (t = 1.31). Similarly, no significant differences were observed in coping behaviors between psychology students (M = 38.53, SD = 6.82) and non-psychology students (M = 40.4, SD = 6.75; t = 0.75). These findings suggest that academic stress and coping strategies are common across disciplines and may be shaped more by personal and contextual factors than by academic background. The study highlights the importance of developing broad-based interventions to support students’ mental health and coping skills in higher education.