An Intergenerational Comparison of Coping Styles and Perception of Stress

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19469421

Oisheen Chatterjee and Tulika Ghosh (Amity Institute of Psychology and Allied Sciences, Amity University, Kolkata, West Bengal)

This research paper delves into the comparative analysis of coping styles and perception of stress among two distinct generations in India, Generation Z (18-27 years) and Generation X (44-59 years). Drawing from the theoretical frameworks of Lazarus and Folkman (1984) and Endler and Parker (1992) this study investigates the coping mechanisms employed by each generation in response to stressors, along with their perception of stress. The aim of this study is to assess and compare intergenerational coping styles and perception of stress in an Indian sample. The study involved 200 participants of Indian nationality from two different age groups- Gen X (49-59 years) and Gen Z (18-28 years), who were recruited through snowball sampling. They were administered the Brief-COPE inventory and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) to assess coping styles and perception of stress respectively. The results were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 29.0. The findings of the t-test showed that while there was no significant difference found in the perception of stress between the two age groups, there were significant disparities in coping strategies, particularly in acceptance, behavioural disengagement, and substance abuse. While Generation X exhibits a higher tendency towards acceptance, Generation Z displays elevated rates of behavioural disengagement and substance misuse, indicating a concerning reliance on maladaptive coping mechanisms among the younger cohort. While no significant difference was found in the perception of stress between the two age groups, notable distinctions emerged in coping mechanisms.