Stress level and coping strategies among IIT students

Pages: 539-544
Subhash Meena and Saundarya Shrotriya (Department of Psychology, Vasanta College for Women, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh)

The core intension of this study was to detect the level of perceived stress among IITians and their coping strategies. IITs are known to filter auriferous brains of the country and stress being a universal phenomenon taking toll on IITians has some significance. After already been through a great amount of stress during JEE, they develop such confidence that academic perceived stress is somewhere neutralized. A total number of 200 questionnaires were administered to IIT-BHU students for the present study, out of which 175 were returned and suitable for analysis. The sample consists of both males and females that were divided on the basis of their ages, 16-19 years and 20-22 years. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) by Cohen et al. (1983) was administered individually on all participants. As a result it was observed that there is a significant difference between junior year students i.e. 16-19 years and senior year students from 20-22 years. It was concluded that majority showed moderate level of stress as coping strategies were escaping strategies rather than management. In order to avoid stress, IITians indulged and distracted themselves in escape methods focused on coping with their emotions.