The effect of personality characteristics on stress level and coping ways with stress: A research on university students

Last years, university students were exposed to stress so much. In these days economics and social conditions are increased effects on stress level. Especially, university students have so much problems. Such as identity, leaving from parents, anxiety of future and achievement of academic. These make negative effects on stres. However, most of people don?t know how they cope or apply with stress. This thing is made difficult about stress. Personality characteristics have both positive and negative effects on stress.In this research, the effect of university students? personality characteristics on stress and coping ways with stress were searched. Personality is an extensive topic so that in this research we took type A and B of personality. Also in the literature, we saw that personality type A and B are related to stress so much. University students? personality characteristics and their level of stress were researched.The universe of the research was composed of university students in 2008-2009 year of education in different higher education, faculties and institutes in Dokuz Eylul University. The sample was composed from this universe with 300 students. Coping ways of stress of university students were measured by ?Ways Of Coping Inventory? by Sahin and Durak (1995), which was adopted to the Turkish university students, the symptoms of stress of university students were measured by ?Stress Symptoms Scale? by Sahin and Batıgun (1997), type A and B personality characteristics were measured by ?Type A Personality Scale? reliability and validity of the scale were made by Sahin and Batıgun (2006), also ?Demographic Survey Form? which was made by reseracher were used.The results of research, the ways of coping with stres and type A personality characteristics of university students were found meaningful and positive. Consequently, type A personality characteristics affect on the ways of coping. Especially, sexuality, education situation, the places where the university students live, the job situation of fathers of university students, civilized of fathers and mothers of university students, the level of monthly income of families, the level of monthly income of university students, income where the university students assure from, us,ng level of alcohol situation and sport habits situations were found connected with the symptoms of stress, the ways of coping and the type A personality characteristics.Key Words: Personality, Personality Theories, Personality Types, Stress, Coping Ways With Stress, Personality Type A And B, University Students.