The Roles of Perceived Stress, Coping Styles, and Perceived Social Support on the Alcohol Consumption Among American College Students

The intention of this study was to better understand how certain aspects in a college student\u27s life (i.e., perceived stress, styles of coping, and social support) or how combinations of these variables may contribute to higher levels of alcohol consumption. The present study examined the relationship between perceived stress, functional coping strategies, dysfunctional coping strategies, and perceived social support using Lazarus and Folkman\u27s model of stress, appraisal, and coping. A sample of (N = 201) University of Denver undergraduate students between the ages of 18-25 complete measures of perceived stress, coping strategies, perceived social support, and alcohol use. Results of a hierarchical regression analysis indicated that utilization of functional coping strategies is a statistically significant predictor of lower levels of alcohol consumption. To date, there have been few studies examining the relationships between perceived stress, functional coping strategies, dysfunctional coping strategies, and perceived social support on alcohol consumption in college students. As such this dissertation provides implications for future research and academic training