PURPOSE: To identify the perceived stressors and coping strategies related to the college experience in junior, senior, and graduate level MOT students.

BACKGROUND: There is a high demand placed on entry-level master's occupational therapy (OT) students during their academic careers. Students report feeling overwhelmed with meeting the demands of school, work, and social lives. In fact, 64% of college students report levels of stress higher than average for the population, which affects learning because of difficulties with memory, judgment, self-esteem, and depression. There is limited research on specific stressors and coping strategies among OT students. In general, Tyrrell and Smith indicated that OT students experience high levels of stress; however, the sources and ways of dealing with stress are not clear. These variables must be understood in order to make recommendations to maximize academic performance for students.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional; self-report surveys

PARTICIPANTS: A total of 167 OT students (52 juniors, 72 seniors, and 43 graduates) participated. Inclusion criteria were registration in a college class and fluency in English.

METHOD: Participants were recruited during their annual class meetings. Data were collected via pen-and-paper surveys, including demographic information and two standardized surveys: the Stress Management Questionnaire and the Undergraduate Stress Questionnaire.

ANALYSIS: Demographic and descriptive statistics were analyzed using SPSS, Version 21, and Microsoft Excel Programs. Analysis of variance was used to compare means for variables among college levels.

RESULTS: The mean number of stressors among all participants was 26.56. The highest perceived stressors were all academic related: assignments due the same day, lots of deadlines, projects and papers, hard upcoming week, and many tests. There was no significant difference in number and type of stressors among grade levels and demographic groups with the exception of housing (p = .011). Those living on campus had significantly more stress than those living off campus. The mean number of coping mechanisms used was 24.25. The highest perceived coping strategies were relaxing, taking hot showers, talking to a friend, listening to music, and sleeping. There was no significant difference in the number and type of stressors among grade levels and demographic groups.

DISCUSSION: Most common stressors for all students were academic related. Even though the majority of students worked and had social involvement, these were not perceived as major stressors. No significant difference suggests the amount of stressors and coping mechanisms is similar among grade levels and demographic groups.

IMPACT STATEMENT: OT students perceive many sources of stress that are academic related. To promote academic performance and success in OT students, educators can design educational assessment strategies with students to minimize these common stressors. Students can explore positive coping mechanisms to serve them for school and life-based challenges.