1. Canstanze Hall, Morgan Miller, & Jayne White Comparisons of Perceived Level of Stress, Coping Strategies and Internal Response to Stress between College of Allied Health Freshmen and Seniors

2. Introduction Background Information More than 30% of all college freshman report feeling overwhelmed - a great deal of the time. (University of Illinois at Chicago, 2010) Problem Statement There are numerous studies being conducted on stress levels among freshmen, unfortunately there is a lack of research regarding seniors. Unrecognized stress levels can lead to overwhelming feelings of stress resulting in mental and physical health problems.

3. Research Purpose To study college freshmen and seniors of perceived stress levels, coping mechanisms and self-reported internal response to stress. Research Questions 1.Do College of Allied Health Freshmen perceive higher levels of stress than College of Allied Health Seniors 2.What methods were utilized to alleviate stress? a. Internal Response to Stress

4. Literature Level of Stress It has been hypothesized that emerging adulthood, the transition from adolescence into adulthood, increased students’ vulnerability to stress. (Zail, Miller 2009) The results of a study done on first- year undergraduate students (N=115) showed a high number of students struggling with academic demands and new social relations that they aimed to establish. (Cribbie 2007) Perceived Stress When stress is perceived negatively or becomes excessive, students experience physical and psychological impairments (Murphy & Archer, 1996) Coping/Response There is great reward in developing effective coping strategies and understanding how coping with stress leads to an increase in stress tolerance (Welle & Graf, 2011). AdaptiveAvoidanceConversionCognitiveDefensiveBehavioral 6 Internal Response Behaviors

5. Method Research Design: This research was a non-experimental design with a purposive convenience sampling collected through students studying within the field of Allied Health located in Southern California in order to collect data to measure the perceived stress and coping mechanisms within this specific population. Participants: A total of 58 students were asked within the field of Allied Health who were academically registered under freshman or senior status were asked to complete a survey to measure their perceived stress using the SPSS model with additional questions to expound on more questions to identify if freshman perceive higher levels of stress than College of Allied Health Seniors. Instrumentation: Respondents’ perceived level of stress was evaluated by using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) This program was used by using a frequency analysis to find the mean, median, and mode for the inferential questions 1-8. To compare the inferential data we used cross tabs and chi squared of the independence of two variables to compare the certain distinct variables.

6. Results Cohen’s PSS t(56)=-2.47, p=0.016. 28% 19%

7. Results Freshmen n=26 18% 29% Seniors n=32

8. Discussion ConclusionsRecommendations Seniors reported a higher level of perceived stress. Freshmen’s highest rated coping method was ADAPTIVE. Senior’s highest rated coping method was COGNITIVE. Stress management workshops beginning freshman year of college which include: Educate students of the importance of healthy lifestyle choices through classes Recognition of personal limitations Support groups Educating on Coping Methods

9. References Allied Health. (n.d.). Retrieved 04 02, 2015, from College Majors 101 : http://www.collegemajors101.com/allied_health.htmhttp://www.collegemajors101.com/allied_health.htm Aselton, P. (2012). Sources of Stress and Coping in American College Students Who Have Been Diagnosed With Depression. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 119-123. Blanchard-Fields, S., & Robinson-Whelen, S. (1991). Moderating effects of age and context on the relationship between gender, sex role differences, and coping. Sex Roles, 645-660. Brougham, Ruby R., Christy M. Zail, Celeste M. Mendoza, and Janine R. Miller. “Stress, Sex Differences, and Coping Strategies Among College Students.” Current Psychology 28.2 (2009): 85-97. Web. Depression and College Students. (n.d.). Retrieved 03 29, 2015, from National Institue of Mental Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression-and-college-students/index.shtml Egan, Katie G., and Megan A. Moreno. "Prevalence of Stress References on College Freshmen Facebook Profiles." CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing29.10 (2011): 586-92. Web. Ekpenyong, C. E., Daniel, N. E., & Aribo, E. O. (2013). Associations Between Academic Stressors, Reaction to Stress,Coping Strategies and Musculoskeletal Disorders Among College Students. Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences, 98-112. Feldt, Ronald C. "Development Of A Brief Measure Of College Stress: The College Student Stress Scale." Psychological Reports 102.3 (2008): 855-60. Web. Folkman, S., Lazarus, R. S., Gruen, R. J., & DeLongis, A. (1986). Appraisal, coping, health status, and psychological symptoms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 571-579. Friedlander, Laura J., Graham J. Reid, Naomi. Shupak, and Robert. Cribbie. "Social Support, Self-Esteem, and Stress as Predictors of Adjustment to University Among First-Year Undergraduates." Journal of College Student Development 48.3 (2007): 259-74. Web. Lennie, T. A., Mahmoud, J., Staten, R., & Hall, L. (2012). The Relationship among Young Adult College Students' Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Demographics, Life Satisfaction, and Coping Styles. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 149-156. Misra, Ranjita, and Linda G. Castillo. "Academic Stress Among College Students: Comparison of American and International Students."International Journal of Stress Management 11.2 (2004): 132-48. Web. Morrison, Matthew J. "College Student Mental Health Counseling: A Developmental Approach." Journal of College Student Psychotherapy 28.4 (2014): 325-27. Web. Ranjita, M., & McKean, M. (2000). College Students' Academic Stress and its Relation to Their Anxiety, Time Management, and Leisure Satisfaction. American Journal of Health Studies, 41-51. Schneiderman, N., Ironson, G., & Seigel, S. D. (2005). STRESS AND HEALTH: Psychological, Behavioral, and Biological Determinants. Annu Rev Clin Psychol., 607-628. Schuder, K. (n.d.). Statistics on College Student Stress. Retrieved 04 01, 2015, from Lovetoknow: http://stress.lovetoknow.com/Statistics_on_College_Student_Stress Sgan-Cohen, Harold D., and Uri Lowental. "Sources of Stress among Israeli Dental Students." Journal of American College Health 36.6 (1988): 317-21. Web. Welle, P. D., & Graf, H. M. (2011). Effective Lifestyle Habits and Coping Strategies for Stress Tolerance among College Students. American Journal of Health Education, 96-102.