Relationship between coping strategies to stressors and levels of psychopathology in chilean higher technical professional education students: a comparison by gender
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Date
2024
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Abstract
This study examines the mental health of Chilean students in Higher TechnicalProfessional Education (HTPE), a group that has received limited research attention,despite high levels of psychological distress among higher education students overall. Themain objective is to examine the relationship between perceived stress, coping strategies,and gender with psychopathology levels. Additionally, sociodemographic factors, such asstudy modality, employment, and family or caregiving responsibilities, are considered.Using data from the study Characterization of Mental Health Indicators in a Sample ofHigher Education Students (Behn et al., unpublished), which surveyed 8,849 studentsfrom Instituto Profesional DuocUC in May 2022, statistical analyses, includingdescriptive statistics, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression, were conducted. Keyfindings reveal that maladaptive coping strategies, such as denial and behavioraldisengagement, were associated with higher psychopathology levels. These strategieswere mostly used among gender diverse students. Notably, strategies often consideredadaptive, like acceptance and planning, were also linked to elevated psychopathology, suggesting a complex relationship between coping and mental health. The regressionmodel explained 19.2% of the variance in psychopathology, with gender and copingstrategies as significant predictors, indicating a moderate impact of gender and copingstrategies on mental health outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of tailored,gender sensitive mental health programs that address specific coping needs and challengeswithin student populations in HTPE institutions.
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Tesis (Master in Clinical Psychology)--Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 2024
Keywords
Higher technical professional students, Stress, Coping strategies, Psychopathology, Gender