STRESS COPING MECHANISMS OF THE TERTIARY STUDENTS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY DURING PANDEMIC

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has given many challenges to students, educators, and parents. This study is a phenomenological in nature which was conducted in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic where students were taught online and most of the schools were in a lockdown status. 103 tertiary students voluntarily participated in this study research instruments were answered through google form. Through this study, it was known that among the stress coping mechanisms (SCM), chatting with friends and watching movies and entertaining comedies were the two SCM that were most commonly employed by the tertiary students. They also overcome their stresses through prayers, reading religious scripts and listening spiritual songs which was commonly employed by the respondents. It is somehow good to note that removing oneself from the stressful situation and learning how to manage time properly making oneself busy with academic activities and sharing one’s problem with parents, friends, and teachers and regularly doing physical exercises are also other ways opted by the respondents to reduce their stress during the pandemic. However, among the SCMs, contacting professionals like psychologists or counsellors turned to be not commonly employed by the respondents which seem to be another interesting field of research to venture on.