IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2023i4p3171-d1065197.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

COVID-19 Stressors and Aggression among Chinese College Students: The Mediation Role of Coping Strategies

Author

Listed:
  • Wencai Hu

    (College of Humanities and Communication, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou 310018, China)

  • Mengru Sun

    (College of Media and International Culture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

Abstract

Although college students experienced excessive stressors (COVID-19 disease and negative COVID-19 news) during the COVID-19 pandemic, few studies have been aimed at coping strategies used by college students to deal with stress caused by the pandemic. Coping strategies are efforts to deal with anxiety in the face of a perceived threat or stress. Aggression is harmful social interaction with the intention of inflicting damage or harm upon another individual. In the present study, we aimed to examine the direct effect of stressors resulting from the pandemic on college students’ aggression, as well as the indirect effect via their coping strategies. Through a cross-sectional survey of 601 Chinese college students (M-age = 20.28), we tested the proposed framework. We first found that information stressors of COVID-19 ranked highest among the four stressors of the pandemic. Results also indicated that college students’ stressors of COVID-19 were directly and positively associated with their aggressive behavior. For the indirect effect, college students would adopt both adaptive coping strategies (self-help strategy) and maladaptive coping strategies (avoidance strategy and self-punishment strategy) with the stressors of COVID-19. Furthermore, adaptive coping strategy (approach strategy) was negatively related to their aggression, whereas maladaptive coping strategy (avoidance strategy and self-punishment strategy) was positively related to their aggressive behavior. The present research extends the general strain theory in the COVID-19 context. Practical implications are also discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Wencai Hu & Mengru Sun, 2023. "COVID-19 Stressors and Aggression among Chinese College Students: The Mediation Role of Coping Strategies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-13, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:4:p:3171-:d:1065197
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/4/3171/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/4/3171/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yu, Si & Zhang, Chunyang & Zhou, Yuyang & Shi, Yiwei & Xu, Wei, 2020. "Longitudinal relationship between inferiority and maladjustment among college students: The mediation of dispositional mindfulness and moderation of left-behind experience," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    2. Li, Hongbin & Meng, Lingsheng & Shi, Xinzheng & Wu, Binzhen, 2012. "Does having a cadre parent pay? Evidence from the first job offers of Chinese college graduates," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(2), pages 513-520.
    3. Wang, Weiling & Qian, Yuyan & Wang, Yuping & Ma, Yixuan, 2020. "Violence exposure among Chinese middle school students: Characteristics and influencing factors," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    4. Ye, Baojuan & Wu, Dehua & Im, Hohjin & Liu, Mingfan & Wang, Xinqiang & Yang, Qiang, 2020. "Stressors of COVID-19 and stress consequences: The mediating role of rumination and the moderating role of psychological support," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    5. Zhou, Xiao & Wu, Xinchun, 2020. "Posttraumatic stress disorder and aggressive behavior in adolescents: A longitudinal and interpersonal functional approach," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    6. Ellickson, P.L. & McGuigan, K.A., 2000. "Early predictors of adolescent violence," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 90(4), pages 566-572.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hongbin Li & Huan Wang & Claire Cousineau & Matthew Boswell, 2023. "What Can Students Gain from China's Higher Education?," Asian Economic Policy Review, Japan Center for Economic Research, vol. 18(2), pages 287-304, July.
    2. Ewa Małgorzata Szepietowska & Ewa Zawadzka & Sara Filipiak, 2022. "Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Sense of Gains and Losses during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An International Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-19, March.
    3. Xiaobing Xian & Yu Zhang & Aiting Bai & Xingpeng Zhai & Hong Hu & Jiao Zhang & Mengliang Ye, 2022. "Association between Family Support, Stress, and Sleep Quality among College Students during the COVID-19 Online Learning Period," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-12, December.
    4. Zimmerman, Gregory M. & Rees, Carter, 2014. "Do school disciplinary policies have positive social impacts? Examining the attenuating effects of school policies on the relationship between personal and peer delinquency," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 54-65.
    5. Hai Zhong, 2013. "Does Education Expansion Increase Intergenerational Mobility?," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 80(320), pages 760-773, October.
    6. Bai, Caiquan & Sun, Zhang & Feng, Chen & Xiao, Weiwei, 2024. "Human capital and cooking fuel choices in rural China: Perspective from cognitive and noncognitive skills," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    7. Wei Si, 2022. "Higher education expansion and gender norms: evidence from China," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 35(4), pages 1821-1858, October.
    8. Markussen, Thomas & Ngo, Quang-Thanh, 2019. "Economic and non-economic returns to communist party membership in Vietnam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 370-384.
    9. Wandeep Kaur & Vimala Balakrishnan & Yoke Yong Chen & Jeyarani Periasamy, 2022. "Mental Health Risk Factors and Coping Strategies among Students in Asia Pacific during COVID-19 Pandemic—A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-15, July.
    10. Liwen Chen & Bobby Chung & Guanghua Wang, 2021. "Exposure to Socially Influential Peer Parents: Evidence from Cadre Parents in China," Working Papers 2021-052, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    11. Li, Qingyi & Cheng, Tyrone C., 2017. "New evidence in physical violent behaviors among school-aged children: A multiple disadvantages model," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 301-308.
    12. Ibabe, Izaskun & Jaureguizar, Joana, 2010. "Child-to-parent violence: Profile of abusive adolescents and their families," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 616-624, July.
    13. Ison, Stephen & Rye, Tom, 2003. "Lessons from travel planning and road user charging for policy-making: through imperfection to implementation," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 10(3), pages 223-233, July.
    14. Zhi Li & Hai Zhong, 2017. "The impact of higher education expansion on intergenerational mobility," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 25(4), pages 575-591, October.
    15. Chen, Liwen & Chung, Bobby W. & Wang, Guanghua, 2023. "Exposure to socially influential peer parents: Evidence from cadre parents in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    16. Sun, Weizeng & Zhang, Sisi & Lin, Chengtao & Zheng, Siqi, 2021. "How do home purchase restrictions affect elite Chinese graduate students’ job search behavior?," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    17. Shunying Zhao & Qiang Yang & Hohjin Im & Baojuan Ye & Yadi Zeng & Zhinan Chen & Lu Liu & Dawu Huang, 2022. "The impulsive online shopper: effects of COVID-19 burnout, uncertainty, self-control, and online shopping trust," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-15, December.
    18. Hayward, Mathew & Cheng, Zhiming & Zhe Wang, Ben, 2022. "Disrupted education, underdogs and the propensity for entrepreneurship: Evidence from China’s sent-down youth program," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 33-39.
    19. Shiang-Yi Lin & Kevin Kien Hoa Chung, 2021. "Risk Perception, Perception of Collective Efficacy and Sleep Quality in Chinese Adults during COVID-19 Pandemic in Hong Kong: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-12, November.
    20. Blum, Matthias & de Bromhead, Alan, 2019. "Rise and fall in the Third Reich: Social advancement and Nazi membership," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:4:p:3171-:d:1065197. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.