Stress, coping, and success among graduate students in clinical psychology

Research has indicated that coping styles and social support are moderating variables in the relationship between stress and distress. Few studies, however, have examined the relationship between these variables and the relative health and success of graduate students in clinical psychology. We administered measures of stress, psychological health, social support, and coping styles to 53 doctoral students in clinical psychology. Current grade point averages were used as a measure of academic success. We hypothesized that more successful students would likely be healthier and report less stress, more social support, and utilization of more positive and less negative coping styles. Results generally supported the hypothesis. Unexpected findings were that more successful students were likely to be women and to report increased use of focus on and venting of emotion as a coping style, increased utilization of medical care, and increased stress regarding scholastic coursework.