Stress, Active Coping, and Academic Performance Among Persisting and Nonpersisting College Students

This article compares the stress, active coping, and academic performance of college students who persisted through an academic year with the same measures among a group of students who left after the fall semester. The hypothesis that stress is related to active coping efforts among persisters, but not among nonpersisters, was strongly supported. However, the hypothesis that stress is related to higher grade point averages (GPAs) among persisters and lower GPAs among nonpersisters was not strongly supported. Stress had a negative effect on GPA among persisters, but there was some evidence of a positive indirect effect through active coping efforts. Finally, a logistic regression analysis found that active coping, thinking it was important to get to know other students, gender, enrollment in more credit hours, GPA, and not being employed lead to greater retention. Active coping was strongly related to retention, and men were more likely to persist. The study provides support for the idea that social support is an active form of coping and that behavioral measures of active coping may be beneficial in studying the relationship between stress and coping.