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Relationship
between Coping Strategies and Psychological
Distress in Middle Eastern University
and College Students: Structural
Equation Modeling Analysis
Mi-Yeon
Kim (1), Doris Nussbaumer (2), Amal
Al-Yazidi (3), Oussama Ben Khalifa
(3),Mohamed Yassin Ouattas (3),
Richard Sawatzky (4)
(1) Mi-Yeon Kim, PhD, RN, Assistant
Professor, School of Nursing, University
of Calgary in Qatar, Doha, Qatar
(2) Public Services Librarian, University
of Calgary in Qatar, Doha, Qatar
(3) BSN, University of Calgary in
Qatar, Doha, Qatar
(4) PhD, RN, Professor, Canada Research
Chair in Equitable People-Centred
Health Measurement, Trinity Western
University, British Columbia, Canada
Corresponding author:
Mi-Yeon Kim,
PhD, RNAssistant Professor, School
of Nursing
Trinity Western University,
22500 University Drive, Langley,
British Columbia, V2Y 1Y1,
Canada+1 604 513-2121 extension
3042
Email: Mi-Yeon.Kim@twu.ca
Received: August 2024. Accepted:
September 2024; Published: October
1, 2024.Citation: Mi-Yeon Kim et
al. Relationship between Coping
Strategies and Psychological Distress
in Middle Eastern University and
College Students: Structural Equation
Modeling Analysis. World Family
Medicine. October 2024; 22(9): 38-52.
DOI: 10.5742/MEWFM.2024.95257824
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Abstract
Aim: The purpose of
this study was to describe
the relationship between coping
strategies and psychological
distress (anxiety and depression)
in Middle Eastern university
and college students.
Background:
The adjustment process of
university and college students
is characterized by new experiences
associated with maturation
as well as challenges imposed
by academic responsibilities.
Difficulty or inability to
cope with various demands
of the transition into emerging
adulthood places them in a
perilous position that increases
the risk of psychological
distress.
Design:
This study was a cross-sectional
study.
Methods:
Data were obtained via a questionnaire
completed by 251 health care
students enrolled in an English-speaking
college and a university.
Psychological distress was
measured with Hospital Anxiety
and Depression Scale and coping
strategies were measured with
Brief COPE Inventory. Five
subscales selected for this
study were problem solving,
social support, religious,
self-blame, and denial coping
strategies. The data were
analyzed using structuralequation
models with anxiety and depression
as outcome variables.
Results:
The results revealed difference
in the types of coping strategies
linked to anxiety and depression.
The five coping strategies
explained 46% variance in
anxiety, whereas only the
use of self-blame and religious
coping strategies explained
26% variance in depression.
Conclusion:
The finding of the study highlight
that interventions may need
to focus on different types
of coping strategies depending
on the nature of students’
psychological distress.
Keywords:
Anxiety; Coping; Coping strategy;
Depression; Psychological
distress
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