A Gendered Perspective on Stress and Coping among College and University Students During a Pandemic

The stress levels and coping strategies of Indian college students during the Covid-19 pandemic was studied using a quantitative approach. This descriptive study, involving a sample of 414 students (200 females and 214 males), revealed that female students experienced higher perceived stress than male students. No significant differences were found between the coping strategies employed by either gender. However, both genders relied more on dysfunctional and emotional coping strategies. The high percentage of stress levels in female students could be attributed to the gender-specific roles prevalent in India. There has also been an escalation in dysfunctional coping strategies like substance abuse which calls for urgent psychological intervention.