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Abstract
The purposes of this study were to: (a) explore the gender schemata of first year men and women to determine the extent and type of gender schematic thinking at the beginning of the semester; and (b) examine how those internal conceptions of masculinity and femininity relate to the levels of perceived stress and coping strategies used by first year students, both at the beginning of the semester and at the end.|The COPE Inventory, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Personal Attributes Questionnaire-Short Form were administered to 209 first year students in 15 sections of first year orientation classes at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Appalachian State University during the second week of classes in the fall of 2001. Twelve weeks later, the COPE and the PSS were re-administered to the same sample (n = 173).|Students at both Times 1 and 2 experienced stress levels that were significantly higher than those of norming groups. No differences, however, were found among Masculine, Feminine, and Androgynous participants, regarding perceived stress levels. Significant differences among the groups on coping strategies were found at Times 1 and 2. Specifically, clear coping patterns among both Feminine and Androgynous participants were evident, with the latter displaying more effective patterns of coping. Finally, additional findings are discussed, especially those associated with the September 11 terrorist attacks.|The findings outlined in this investigation have implications for student affairs practitioners who work with first year students. Specifically, practitioners should be aware of the stress levels of incoming first year students and the fact that they may count personal events as more stressful than national occurrences. Further, parents and practitioners should be aware that some students appear to limit their coping strategy choices along traditional gender lines, but those who do notthe androgynous participantsappear to cope more effectively with the stress they encounter.