The role of coping strategies and psychological resilience in shaping academic stress levels
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Sociology of Medicine and Medical Communication, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
- 2Student Scientific Circle of Medical Communication, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
- 3Faculty of Information and Communication Technology, Department of Control Systems and Mechatronics, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland
- 4Faculty of Medicine, Division of Family Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
- 5Department of Medical Education and Communication, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland
Abstract
The period of university studies is associated with numerous stressors that can negatively affect the psychological functioning of young adults. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between perceived stress levels, preferred coping strategies, and psychological resilience. The analysis focused on resilience as a potential moderator of the relationship between coping strategies and stress intensity. The study included 607 Polish students. A significant part of the group was medical students (61.72%). The study employed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Coping Inventory (Mini-COPE), the Resilience Scale (SPP-25), and used an author-developed questionnaire to collect sociodemographic information. The respondents exhibited moderate stress intensity (M = 22.54; SD = 7.04) and a moderately high level of general resilience (M = 59.39; SD = 15.37). Among coping strategies, acceptance (M = 1.94) and active coping (M = 1.85) were chosen most frequently, while turning to religion and helplessness were chosen least frequently. Analysis of personal resources showed the highest scores in openness to experience and sense of humor. Interaction effects rarely reached statistical significance. The study group showed a profile of students who were stressed but had functional coping resources. The moderation analysis results indicate the complex nature of the relationships among the variables studied—although psychological resilience is a key resource, its role as a moderator of the relationship between coping strategies and stress is not universal and emerges only in specific areas of functioning. The data obtained suggest that psychological interventions should focus on strengthening existing resources (such as active coping) and developing resilience, which may serve as a buffer against the negative effects of academic stress.
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BibTeX
@article{gurzynska2026role,
title = {{The role of coping strategies and psychological resilience in shaping academic stress levels}},
author = {Zuzanna Gurzyńska and Karolina Kucka and Marcin Trzciński and Katarzyna Topolska and Katarzyna Nowicka-Sauer and Krzysztof Sobczak},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0360002},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360002},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The role of coping strategies and psychological resilience in shaping academic stress levels
AU - Zuzanna Gurzyńska
AU - Karolina Kucka
AU - Marcin Trzciński
AU - Katarzyna Topolska
AU - Katarzyna Nowicka-Sauer
AU - Krzysztof Sobczak
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0360002
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360002
AB - The period of university studies is associated with numerous stressors that can negatively affect the psychological functioning of young adults. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between perceived stress levels, preferred coping strategies, and psychological resilience. The analysis focused on resilience as a potential moderator of the relationship between coping strategies and stress intensity. The study included 607 Polish students. A significant part of the group was medical students (61.72%). The study employed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Coping Inventory (Mini-COPE), the Resilience Scale (SPP-25), and used an author-developed questionnaire to collect sociodemographic information. The respondents exhibited moderate stress intensity (M = 22.54; SD = 7.04) and a moderately high level of general resilience (M = 59.39; SD = 15.37). Among coping strategies, acceptance (M = 1.94) and active coping (M = 1.85) were chosen most frequently, while turning to religion and helplessness were chosen least frequently. Analysis of personal resources showed the highest scores in openness to experience and sense of humor. Interaction effects rarely reached statistical significance. The study group showed a profile of students who were stressed but had functional coping resources. The moderation analysis results indicate the complex nature of the relationships among the variables studied—although psychological resilience is a key resource, its role as a moderator of the relationship between coping strategies and stress is not universal and emerges only in specific areas of functioning. The data obtained suggest that psychological interventions should focus on strengthening existing resources (such as active coping) and developing resilience, which may serve as a buffer against the negative effects of academic stress.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -