Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between coping responses, perceived stress and subjective well-being of first year university students in transition to university period. Numerous studies which investigated student populations, such as international, nursing and general students, have concluded that university students are a highly stressed population (Abouserie, 1994; Hamill, 1995; Hammer, Grisby & Woods, 1998; Tanck & Robbins, 1979; Tully, 2003; Wan, et al., 1992). While stress can be an important component of personal and professional development, too much stress can have negative affects on students in many aspects of their life such as the social, academic, personal development and achievement domains (Wan, Chapman, & Biggs, 1992). A sample of 96 first year university students, (79 females and 17 males) completed a self-report questionnaire. Results revealed that first year university students did not perceive elevated stress during their transition period and have used a mixture of coping responses. Differences in the frequency of coping responses used by ‘first time’ and ‘second time’ first year students was so small that it is not noticeable in practice. Through examining stress and coping of first year university students’ appropriate programs can be put in place and modification of existing programs can be made to accommodate students’ current needs, thus providing a smoother transition to university.