Poster #88 - Coping With Stress during COVID-19 Pandemic: First-Generation College Student’s Anxiety, Perceived Stress, and Coping Behavior

• In Event: Poster Session 20

Abstract

Introduction: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic during the Spring of 2020 led to worsening mental health and academic difficulties for many college students (Tasso et al. 2021). These COVID-19 related burdens were likely more intense for students from minoritized backgrounds, such as first-generation college students (FGCS). Although it is clear that FGCS students are vulnerable to unique stressors due to their marginalized identities at college (House et al. 2020), limited research has investigated how FGCS adapted to stressors and challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic (Soria et al. 2020, Davis et al. 2021) The present study investigates whether and how coping style buffered the effects of perceived stress on anxiety symptoms in a diverse sample of FGCS during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring of 2020.


Methods: Data was drawn from a longitudinal, multi-site study of 335 FGCS. Participants were in their second or third year of college during the Spring of 2020. Participants completed an online survey which included information about their demographic background, as well as validated assessments of perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale; Cohen et al., 1983), coping behavior (Brief COPE Inventory; Carver, 1997), and anxiety (Penn State Worry Questionnaire; Meyer et al., 1990).


Results: Results from linear regression analyses showed that, when co-varying for participant sex, FGCS who experienced more stress reported higher levels of anxiety (β = .13, p < .001). However, certain coping styles buffered this positive relationship between stress and worry. Emotional support and self-distraction coping both significantly moderated the relationship between perceived stress and anxiety symptoms (β =.08, p < .05 and β = .08, p < .05, respectively), such that perceived stress was associated less strongly with worry for students endorsing greater use of emotional support or self-distraction. Active coping, acceptance, positive reframing, and denial coping did not significantly moderate the relationship between perceived stress and anxiety.


Discussion: These results indicate that perceived stress during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring of 2020 was tied to greater worry for FGCS overall. However, coping strategies that rely on seeking emotional support from others or distracting oneself from the stressor appear to have been helpful in buffering the mental health impact of perceived stressors for FGCS during this time. These findings have implications for prevention and intervention efforts designed to enhance the coping strategies of students from diverse backgrounds as they encounter stressors. When considered in relation with institutional policies that reduce minoritized students’ exposure to stress, such findings may help to identify protective factors that offset risk and promote well-being among FGCS.

Authors

• Tripat K Rihal, Fordham University
  Presenting Author

• Ariana DeJesus-Rodriguez, Fordham University

• Elizabeth Raposa, Fordham University