Examining the relationship between stressors and coping strategies used by teacher - trainees in universities in the central region, Uganda

Abstract

Stress is an integral part of the student’s university life that calls for appropriate coping measures. Guided by the Transactional Appraisal Theory of stress and coping, this study examined the relationship between stressors and coping strategies used by pre-service teacher-trainees in universities in the Central region of Uganda. The study was quantitative in nature and adopted a cross-sectional survey research design on a target population of 7502 teacher-trainees. Five hundred fifty-four (554) pre-service teacher-trainees from year one to year three on two programs of study were selected using a simple random sampling strategy. The study involved 254 (45.8%) males and 300 (54.2%) females with an average age of 24 years. The findings revealed academic difficulties and time pressure as key stressors. The findings further revealed a significant positive relationship between stressors and coping strategies used by pre-service teacher-trainees to mitigate stress (r = 0.469, p = 0.000<0.05, n=554). Although teacher-trainees adopted myriad coping strategies simultaneously, the findings revealed that the majority used avoidant coping strategies (β = 0.550, p = 0.000<0.05), followed by problem-focused coping (β=0.439, p = 0.000<0.05) and emotion-focused coping strategies (β = 0.363, p=0.000<0.05). Thus, the study underscored the importance of adaptive coping strategies in mitigating stressful situations. The study recommends awareness and orientation of students in university life, strengthening counselling services, and introducing mindfulness programs to enhance the students’ problem-solving and adaptation-solving skills.