How To Cope In College
According to a study published in the Issues in Mental Health Nursing journal, maladaptive coping is a main predictor of anxiety and stress among college students (Mahmoud et al., 2012). The authors of the journal article had 508 full-time undergraduate students complete self-report scales measuring anxiety, depression, coping skills, and life satisfaction. Some of the key findings included the following: students who lived with someone or belonged to a social organization were less anxious and stressed than those who didn’t; students who used maladaptive coping strategies more frequently reported significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety; and maladaptive coping and lower life satisfaction were significant predictors of anxiety. With anxiety among students on the rise, this article has implications for improving on-campus mental health screening as well as awareness of and access to mental health supports in order to decrease maladaptive coping behaviors in college.
What Are Coping Behaviors and Why Do They Matter?
During college, students are experiencing a stress-producing and anxiety-provoking transition in which they are responsible for having the skills to be self-sufficient and effectively navigate relationships, school, and work on their own. How students perceive, respond to, and cope with the mounting academic, financial, and social stressors in college impacts their mental health. Adaptive coping behaviors (i.e., defining the stressful situation, actively seeking support, reflecting on possible solutions, and taking action to resolve the situation) resolve a stressful situation and result in positive psychological and emotional health. Maladaptive coping behaviors (i.e., withdrawal from the stressful situation and avoid seeking solutions) fail to resolve a stressful situation and result in mental health problems, such as increased anxiety.
How Are You Coping?
Adaptive coping
Adjusting your expectations of the situation by forgiving or compromising
Engaging in healthy stress-relieving behaviors, such as meditation and exercise
Planning ways to adapt to the stressful situation
Seeking social support from friends and family
Reframing the situation in a positive way (e.g., opportunity for growth)
Maladaptive coping
Avoiding the stressful situation
Engaging in risk-taking behaviors, such as substance use, to numb feelings
Ruminating about the situation
Blaming yourself or others for the situation
Withdrawing from family and friends
Ways to Decrease Maladaptive Coping
Practice retraining your brain: When your mind immediately goes to the negative and catastrophic when faced with a stressful situation, try to interrupt that thought cycle by questioning the negative thoughts and replacing them with more realistic ones. You might ask yourself things like, am I basing these thoughts on facts or feelings, what is the evidence that these thoughts are true, and what are the disadvantages of thinking this way? Consider writing coping statements (e.g., I’ve been through stressful situations like this before and have made it through) on cards that you can refer to for help in the moment.
Stay connected to your social network: In the face of stressful situations, your social ties are vital. Stressful situations feel more manageable when you have the support of family and friends. They can help by listening to your thoughts and feelings, problem-solving possible solutions with you, empathizing with your situation, and normalizing life challenges. Keep in regular contact with your social network by texting, video calling, and/or spending time in person (e.g., having dinner, taking a walk). Try building your social support system in the following ways: volunteering at a community center, joining a fitness group or sports club, taking a leisure course on campus, and/or joining a campus organization.
Seek support from a professional: When maladaptive coping behaviors are making you anxious, contact a psychologist who can help you replace them with adaptive coping behaviors. Psychologists who use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) approaches can provide the support you need to set personal goals, identify and change maladaptive coping behaviors, develop skills for adaptive coping, plan steps to solve stressful situations, and take action to overcome life challenges. Student Success Psychological Services offers online counseling that can help. Click here to learn more.
Find the link to the full research article here: https://doi.org/10.3109/01612840.2011.632708
Mahmoud, J. S. R., Staten, R. T., Hall, L. A., & Lennie, T. A. (2012). The relationship among young adult college students’ depression, anxiety, stress, demographics, life satisfaction, and coping styles. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 33(3), 149-156.