Coping behavior as a factor in developing stress resilience among higher education students

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of coping behavior as an important factor in developing the stress resilience of higher education students within the contemporary educational environment, which is characterized by increased academic workload, social instability, uncertainty, and prolonged exposure to war-related stressors. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to develop constructive ways of coping with stressful situations, emotional self-regulation skills, adaptability, and the ability to maintain psychological well-being among university students. The purpose of the article is to provide a theoretical justification of the role of coping behavior in developing students' stress resilience and to identify the relationship between coping strategies and an individual's ability to effectively cope with stressors. The methodological framework of the study is based on systemic, person-centered, and activity-based approaches, as well as general scientific methods, including analysis, synthesis, systematization, generalization, and comparative analysis of scientific sources. To investigate the specific features of coping behavior, the study considers the possibilities of applying psychodiagnostic methods, in particular the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS), as well as methods of mathematical and statistical data processing. As a result of the theoretical generalization, the main types of coping strategies have been systematized, including problem-focused, emotion-focused, socially oriented, and avoidance strategies. It has been determined that constructive coping behavior encompasses planning, active problem solving, positive reappraisal of a situation, seeking social support, and developing self-regulation skills. A conceptual model of the relationship between coping behavior and stress resilience has been substantiated. The model includes the impact of stressors, cognitive appraisal of the situation, activation of personal and social resources, selection and implementation of a coping strategy, and evaluation of coping outcomes. The importance of coping flexibility, a subjective sense of control, self-efficacy, and social support in the process of students' adaptation to challenging circumstances has been revealed. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the theoretical substantiation of coping behavior as a dynamic mechanism for developing stress resilience and in the systematization of pedagogical and psychological conditions for the development of constructive coping strategies within the educational environment of a higher education institution. The practical significance of the results lies in the possibility of using them in the development of psychological support programs, emotional self-regulation training, psychological prevention measures, and educational and methodological recommendations for students, academic and teaching staff, and psychological service professionals. Prospects for further research are associated with the empirical examination of the relationship between coping strategies and the level of stress resilience among students of different fields of study and years of study.