Stress among Valparaiso University students: Stressors and Coping Mechanisms

Large amounts of stress can wreak havoc on an individual’s life. Students at Valparaiso University and many other universities around the world are faced with situations that cause stress levels to fluctuate and affect their lives in different ways. As stress is a phenomenon that is not easily defined or measured, it becomes difficult to study and even more difficult to combat. The “Stressors & Coping Mechanisms” survey looks at students attending Valparaiso University and attempts to highlight practices and behaviors that may create stress in specifically Valparaiso student’s lives; it also looks at practices and behaviors students with lower scores on the Perceived Stress Scale may have in common. The three main categories examined are physical activity, technology usage, and social behaviors. Along with these three categories, factors like gender, school year, major, etc. are analyzed to search for patterns in the Valparaiso student community. The end goal of this survey and study are to find out what some of the major causes of stress for students are, and also what behaviors or practices are the best at alleviating or combating stress