Stress, coping and gender : a comparative study of Irish and international students
Authors
Kelly, Mary
Issue Date
2009
Degree
BA in Psychology
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
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Abstract
Stress and coping behaviours were compared across a sample of 8 Irish and international students at Dublin Business School. Stress was measured using the Student-Life Stress Inventory (SSI: Gadzella, 1991). Coping strategies were examined using the Brief COPE (Carver, 1997). Results indicated that while there were some gender differences with respect to coping (females exhibited more emotion-focused responses and males reported more behavioral responses) there were no significant overall differences in stress and coping responses with respect to status (Irish or international) or gender. A secondary purpose of the study was to examine the moderating effects of self-esteem and selfefficacy on stress and coping. Using the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE: Schwartzer & Jerusalem, 1995) and Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (SES: Rosenberg, 1965), results indicated that only self-efficacy significantly moderated stress responses.