Perceived Stress and Coping Strategies among Undergraduate Students in Lagos, Nigeria.

Introduction: The observed emotional distress among students of higher institutions was documented to be a common public health occurrence. The potential long-term negative implications on the academic and physical and mental health could lead to maladaptive behaviours that can make students to become unproductive in the university. This study aimed at evaluating the degrees of perceived stress and adopted coping strategies among undergraduate university students in Lagos, Nigeria. Methodology: The study was a descriptive and cross-sectional one that was carried out among one hundred and forty-five students of the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, Nigeria. The Perceived Stress Scale and Brief Cope Scale were administered to the respondents. The collected data was analysed using SPSS version 21.0. Descriptive and analytical statistics were presented as frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. The Chi-square test determined associations and significant associations at P < 0.05. Results: The findings of the perceived stress scale showed that majority of participants experienced a mild to moderate stress level. The Brief COPE revealed that the problem-focused coping, active coping, positive reframing, and planning were predominantly used by the students. Regarding emotion-focused coping, religion and acceptance were predominantly used while self-distraction, denial and behaviour disengagement were the avoidance coping strategies used the students. Conclusions: This study demonstrated a high level of perceived stress among the surveyed undergraduate students. The results highlighted the need to carry out stress management and emotional resilience workshops for undergraduate students that will further help to strengthen the coping skills of students in the university environment.