Coping Strategies among Students with Chronic Medical Illnesses in Comparison to Healthy Students: A Comparative Cross-sectional Study from Sultan Qaboos University, Oman

Objectives: This study aimed to compare coping strategies among students with chronic medical illnesses in contrast to healthy students to understand their behaviours in response to stressful situations. Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted between September and December 2019 and included students attending nine colleges at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), Muscat, Oman. Data were collected and compared between students with chronic medical illnesses and those who were healthy. A validated Arabic version of the self-reported Brief-COPE Inventory was used to determine mean scores for 14 designated coping strategies. Results: A total of 405 students participated in the study; of these, 229 (56.5%) were male and 176 (43.5%) were female. Overall, 113 students (28%) had a chronic medical illness. Positive coping strategies named religion, acceptance planning, and active coping were the most frequently reported coping strategies among all students regardless of their health status, while substance use was the least common. There were statistical differences between the two groups in using certain coping strategies. The students with chronic medical illnesses tend to use acceptance and emotional support more than healthy students (P-value of 0.001 and 0.008 respectively). However, the healthy students use self-blames and denial as a coping strategy more than chronically ill students (P-value of 0.008 and 0.029 respectively). Conclusion: In addition to the current resources available at SQU, encouraging healthy coping mechanisms and provide support to students with chronic medical illnesses are required to alleviate their stresses, especially for students with chronic medical illnesses.