STRESS COPING STRATEGIES OF 2012/2013 FINAL YEAR SANDWICH STUDENTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF BASIC EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA (UEW), GHANA (Published)
The study sought to investigate the type of stress that 2012/2013 final year sandwich students of the Department of Basic Education, UEW, Ghana, experience most and the type of coping strategies they adopt in managing stress. Four hundred and fifty-three (453) final year students were purposively sampled for the study. However, four hundred and six (406) students were used for the analysis because they correctly filled and returned their questionnaire. The questionnaire used to collect the data for the study was adapted from Carver, Scheier and Weintraub (1989). The findings from the study revealed that 56.6% of the respondents mostly experience acute stress, 28.6% mostly experienced chronic stress while 14.8% mostly experienced episodic stress. The study also showed that restraint coping strategy (mean=4.07, standard deviation=0.95) was always used as a problem-focused coping strategy while positive reinterpretation and growth(mean=4.15, standard deviation=0.91) was always used as an emotion-focused coping strategy. It was found out that the students used more of problem-focused strategies (meam of means=3.53, standard deviation=1.03) in managing stress than emotion-focused strategies (mean of means=3.27, standard deviation=1.10). It is recommended among other things that the Counselling Unit of UEW, Ghana, in collaboration with the various faculties should organize regular seminars and workshops on Time Management and Stress Management for sandwich students in UEW. Again, the Sports Directorate of the University should formulate programmes on physical exercises and sporting activities that will benefit sandwich students in managing stress situations they go through while on campus.
Keywords: Acute Stress, Chronic Stress, Emotion-Focused Strategy., Episodic Stress, Problem-Focused Strategy, Sandwich Students