Background and Purpose: Nursing education is characterized by intense academic and clinical demands, often leading to high levels of stress among students. To cope, students utilize a range of strategies influenced by personal factors such as sex, birth order, family income, and personality type. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the coping strategies of third-year nursing students and their individual characteristics, with particular attention to personality traits.
Materials and Methods: This study employed a quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional design. A total of 149 third-year nursing students from Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines, were selected through stratified random sampling. Data collection was conducted in March 2024 using a self-administered questionnaire composed of a standardized coping strategies inventory and a validated personality assessment based on psychological typologies. Statistical analyses, including independent t-tests and one-way analysis of variance, were conducted to examine the relationships between coping strategies and student characteristics such as sex, birth order, family income, and personality type.
Results: There were no statistically significant differences in coping strategies based on sex, birth order, or family income (all p-values greater than 0.05). For instance, problem-focused coping strategies showed no significant difference between males (mean = 2.97) and females (mean = 3.07; p = 0.103), nor across different birth orders (p = 0.634) or income groups (p = 0.959). In contrast, significant differences were observed based on personality types. Students classified as having a Judging orientation demonstrated significantly higher mean scores in both problem-focused (mean = 3.13) and meaning-making (mean = 3.20) coping strategies compared to those with a Perceiving orientation (means = 2.93 and 2.96, respectively), with p-values of 0.001 and 0.004.
Conclusion: Personality traits, particularly the Judging versus Perceiving distinction, significantly influence coping strategy preferences. These findings highlight the potential benefits of incorporating personality-based approaches in designing stress management programs for nursing students.