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School-related stress and coping strategies in Victorian Year II students

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 October 2015

Lisa J. Warren
Lisa J. Warren*
Affiliation:
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
*
Community Forensic Mental Health Service, 213-219 Brunswick Road, BRUNSWICK Victoria 3056, Phone: 03 9380 8500, Fax: 03 9380 1557, E-mail: lisa.warren@dhs.vic.gov.au
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Abstract

Adolescents who are coping with their final years of secondary schooling may be stressed. The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) has been the subject of considerable anecdotal controversy, including concerns over the level of stress that it places upon students and its effect on students’overall well-being. The present study provides some initial empirical data to inform this debate. The Australian Adolescent Problems Inventory, the Adolescent Coping Inventory, and the General Health Questionnaire were used to examine the constructs of school-related stress, coping, and well-being in 118 Year II Victorian secondary school students. Students reported a range of school-related problems. They coped by positive avoidance or problem-focused methods that promoted independence. Students reported feeling high levels of global stress. Anticipation of the final year of schooling placed pressure on young people, but students found several ways to cope with the demands. Therefore, it could not be concluded that the Victorian Certificate of Education was significantly related to unhealthy levels of stress, worry, and poor coping.

Keywords

AdolescenceCopingSchoolStressVictorian Certificate of EducationYear II
Type
Research Article
Information
The Educational and Developmental Psychologist , Volume 17 , Issue 2 , 2000 , pp. 44 - 57
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Psychological Society 2000

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