Coping Strategies as a Moderator Between Perceived Stress and Health Indicators
Presentation Type
Poster
Keywords
Perceived Stress, Coping Strategies, Nocturnal Blood Pressure Dipping, Sleep Quality
Department
Psychology
Major
Psychology
Abstract
Background: Stress is an inevitable aspect of life and being able to cope with that stress can impact health indicators such as sleep quality and nocturnal blood pressure (BP). Coping strategies protect both mental and physical health from the negative effects of stress. Shortened and disturbed sleep as well as insufficient BP decreases during sleep increase risk for cardiovascular disease. Further, research suggests that insufficient sleep leads to increased stress, which adversely impacts health.
Objective: To examine the relationship between perceived stress and the health indicators of sleep and nocturnal BP dipping in a college sample. To examine how coping strategies moderate the relationship between perceived stress and the health indicators of sleep and nocturnal BP dipping.
Method: Participants (N=131) completed the Perceived Stress Scale, Brief Cope, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and a sleep diary, and wore an ambulatory BP monitor for 24 hours.
Results: Linear regressions demonstrated that, controlling for economic status, perceived stress and maladaptive coping were significantly associated with poorer sleep quality, β = .22, p < .05, and β = .20, p < .05, respectively. However, maladaptive coping did not moderate the association between perceived stress and poor sleep quality. No variables were significantly associated with nocturnal BP dipping.
Discussion: Students who engaged in maladaptive coping strategies experienced poor sleep quality and higher perceived stress. Findings from the current study encourage further study of the relationship between perceived stress and coping strategies to better understand the psychological contributions to poor sleep quality experienced by college students.
Faculty Mentor
Cindy Miller-Perrin, Nataria Joseph
Funding Source or Research Program
Academic Year Undergraduate Research Initiative
Location
Waves Cafeteria
Start Date
24-3-2017 2:00 PM
End Date
24-3-2017 3:00 PM
Coping Strategies as a Moderator Between Perceived Stress and Health Indicators
Waves Cafeteria
Background: Stress is an inevitable aspect of life and being able to cope with that stress can impact health indicators such as sleep quality and nocturnal blood pressure (BP). Coping strategies protect both mental and physical health from the negative effects of stress. Shortened and disturbed sleep as well as insufficient BP decreases during sleep increase risk for cardiovascular disease. Further, research suggests that insufficient sleep leads to increased stress, which adversely impacts health.
Objective: To examine the relationship between perceived stress and the health indicators of sleep and nocturnal BP dipping in a college sample. To examine how coping strategies moderate the relationship between perceived stress and the health indicators of sleep and nocturnal BP dipping.
Method: Participants (N=131) completed the Perceived Stress Scale, Brief Cope, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and a sleep diary, and wore an ambulatory BP monitor for 24 hours.
Results: Linear regressions demonstrated that, controlling for economic status, perceived stress and maladaptive coping were significantly associated with poorer sleep quality, β = .22, p < .05, and β = .20, p < .05, respectively. However, maladaptive coping did not moderate the association between perceived stress and poor sleep quality. No variables were significantly associated with nocturnal BP dipping.
Discussion: Students who engaged in maladaptive coping strategies experienced poor sleep quality and higher perceived stress. Findings from the current study encourage further study of the relationship between perceived stress and coping strategies to better understand the psychological contributions to poor sleep quality experienced by college students.