A Hierarchical Model of Coping in the College Student Population

Bryon C Pickens; Robert Mckinney; Stephanie Bell

doi:10.32674/jise.v7i2.214

Bryon C Pickens Argosy University, Nashville
Robert Mckinney Delta State University
Stephanie Bell Delta State University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32674/jise.v7i2.214

Abstract

Research indicates a fall in college student mental health over the past 16 years, with no corresponding increase in use of mental health services. To investigate how college students manage stressful issues, we assessed coping styles as measured by the dispositional COPE inventory in a multi-state sample of undergraduate students (N = 109).We tested a four-factor, hierarchical model of coping with a factor-based variant of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), an approach noted for its accuracy with small sample sizes. Results indicated the existence of a hierarchical effect that explained 67.4 percent of variance in coping subscale scores, and validated the four factors of Approach, Avoidance, Social-Contextual, and Individual-Contextual coping styles. All coping style pairs had significant positive relationships (p < .002) with one exception; Approach and Avoidance had a significant negative relationship (p < .001).

Author Biographies

Bryon C Pickens, Argosy University, Nashville

Bryon C. Pickens, Ed.D., LPC, is an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education and Supervision with Argosy University, Nashville. Dr. Pickens received his doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from The University of Memphis. His clinical specialties are crisis intervention and addiction counseling. His primary research interest is college student mental health with an emphasis on prevention efforts to reduce the impact of mental health concerns for college populations.

Robert Mckinney, Delta State University

Robert Mckinney, M.S. is currently an independent research consultant based out of Nashville, Tennessee and formerly a Grant Coordinator with Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. Mr. Mckinney received his M.S. in Educational Psychology and Research from The University of Memphis. His primary research interest is novel application of multivariate statistical procedure and Partial Least Squares models in the social sciences.

Stephanie Bell, Delta State University

Stephanie Bell, Ph.D., NCC is an Assistant professor of Counselor Education with Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. Dr. Bell received her doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from The University of Mississippi. Her primary clinical and research interest is trauma intervention, with an emphasis on sexual assault on college campuses.