Effectiveness of Coping Strategies in Reducing Student's Academic Stress
Stress is defined as the non specific response of the body to any demand for change (Selye (1987) Stress is the response of the body and mind towards various changes in the physical environment. People experience stress at any point of their lifetime, possibly caused by death in the family, divorce, schooling, employment, and illness. The type of stress experienced varies at different stages of life. (Schneiderman et al. 2005) An unhealthy response to stress occurs when the demand of the stressor exceeds the person's coping ability (Herbert and Cohen 1993) When stress is continuous and pressures are intense, physical illness and psychological distress can ensue. To adapt successfully, it is necessary to respond to stress in a positive way by using adaptive coping strategies. Adaptive coping strategies such as organising work, exercise, relaxation, and external support are conductive to better physical and mental health. On the other hand, coping strategies such as alcohol, drug abuse, smoking, and interpersonal withdrawal result in maladaptation. When stress becomes chronic, the stress responses such as elevated blood pressure, elevated cholesterol level, elevated adrenal level, and elevated blood sugar can lead to various chronic disorders (Ogden 2007) Adolescents are are particularly vulnerable to stress as they are face the pressure of succeeding in their academic life and face an uncertain future. They also face social, emotional, physical and family problems, which may affect their learning ability and academic performance (Greubel and Kecklund 2011; Jeronimus et al. 2014) Studies from United Kingdom that have examined coping strategies of medical students have generally identified alcohol as a commonly practiced coping strategy (Jeronimus et al. 2013; Schlotz et al. 2011) Other studies have reported the use of substances such as tobacco and illicit drugs (Pinquart and Sorensen 2003; Kemeny 2003) Studies from developing countries like Pakistan, India, Thailand and Malaysia have emphasized academic work as a source of stress Int J Ment Health Addiction (2016) 14:1057 1061 DOI 10.1007/s11469 016 9691 1
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction