Fear, Stress, Resilience and Coping Strategies during COVID‐19 in Spanish University Students

Abstract

COVID‐19 (2019 coronavirus pandemic) and the resulting confinement has had an impact on mental health and the educational environment, affecting the stress, concerns, fear, and life quality of the university population. This study aimed to examine the correlation between fear of COVID‐19, stress with COVID‐19, and technological stress in university students, and their resilience, self‐esteem, and coping strategies. The final sample comprised 180 Spanish university students, with an average age of 20.76 years (SD = 4.59). The above‐mentioned effects were administered a series of self‐report scales. We found statistically significant associations between fear of COVID‐19 and stress with COVID‐19, technological stress (total score), overload, and complexity (subdimensions of technological stress). Likewise, we found inverse relationships between the students’ fear of COVID‐19 and the use of the coping strategy, cognitive restructuring. Ascertaining the factors that influence the coping strategies of undergraduate university students and their fears, psychological stress, and resilience provides valuable information for the development of educational interventions. This research has relevant implications for the diagnosis, orientation, and design of psycho‐educational and clinical interventions that can improve students’ well‐being and training for effective coping strategies for daily stress and this pandemic situation.