University students' coping strategies in the face of psychological distress

Abstract

Introduction: Psychological distress is characterized by a set of signs and symptoms, as well as any kind of negative reaction to stressful events caused by everyday life. In the face of psychological distress, people often develop coping strategies. Objective: To identify the coping strategies used by university students in the face of psychological distress. Methodology: Quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive study carried out using a stratified proportional and simple random sample of 276 students enrolled from the 1st to the 8th period of the medicine course. Results: Most of the students presented psychological distress, 58.70%. The most frequently used coping strategies were avoidance (10.48±5.09), self-control (10.20±3.78), positive reappraisal (9.76±4.16) and problem solving (9.58±4.12). Students with psychological distress used the coping strategies of avoidance-avoidance (12.23±4.72, p=0.000) and acceptance and responsibility (6.81±3.07, p=0.010), while those without psychological distress showed greater problem-solving (10.45±4.02, p=0.003) as a coping strategy. Conclusion: Students who experience psychological distress develop coping strategies. Research and interventions aimed at developing coping strategies in the face of psychological distress are suggested.