Resilience and Coping Strategy Profiles at University: Contextual and Demographic Variables

Abstract

Introduction. In the past two decades, increased attention has been given to the importance of non-cognitive factors in learning, and in academic, social and professional success. There are two quite interrelated variables that influence behavior when facing stress in the academic context, resilience and coping strategies, and only recently have they received attention in the university context. Method. A total of 117 university students took part in the research, which used the EEC coping and CD-RISC resilience scales. Descriptive and association analyses as well as MANOVAs were performed in order to confirm students’ profile of resilience and strategies for coping with stress, to observe the type of relationship between the two constructs, and to analyze the possible effect of gender and type of university on their resilience and coping strategy profile. Results. The research reveals medium-high scores in resilience, and general use of problemfocused coping strategies. Not only is the connection between variables important, but gender and type of university were shown to have effects on tenacity, spirituality, self-instructions, action directed at the causes, positive re-appraisal and firmness, and religious support. Discussion and conclusions. The research provides evidence that there is a connection between resilience and coping strategies, and offers important information about how some indicators of the two can be influenced by gender and context, such as the type of university. Further inquiry into these questions is needed, and they may be especially interesting for university admission and guidance departments.