The Relationship Between Friendship Maintenance, Friendship Quality, and Coping on First Semester College Stress

Abstract

The transition to college can be associated with high levels of stress, especially during the first semester of college. Maintaining friendships, friendship quality, and coping can all influence a student’s perceived stress. This study investigated the relationship between friendship maintenance, friendship quality, and coping on perceived stress during the first semester of college, while controlling for gender, ethnicity, length of friendships, and types of friendships (i.e., same-sex and opposite-sex). Participants completed online questionnaires measuring friendship maintenance, friendship quality, coping strategies, and perceived stress during the first semester of college. Results indicate that only coping (i.e., adaptive and maladaptive) and gender predict perceived stress during the first semester of college. Limitations are discussed.