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

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Mar 24th, 2:00 PM Mar 24th, 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.