Coping styles and adjustment of international graduate students.

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between styles of coping and adjustment in a sample of international graduate students (n = 392) studying in the U.S.A. The Coping Responses Inventory-Adult Form, the College Adjustment Scales, and a demographic survey were used. Separate principal components analyses were conducted on the two sets of scales (coping and adjustment). Subsequently, a series of additional analyses were performed including a multiple regression analysis, discriminant analyses, and a multivariate analysis of variance. The results indicated that the method of coping utilized by the international graduate students in this sample was related to adjustment. Sex was also found to relate to both coping and adjustment. Specifically, there was a correlation between approach coping and adjustment. Finally, there were significant differences between single and married participants on both approach coping and avoidance coping but not on the adjustment. The implications of these findings for international students are discussed.