Evaluation of coping styles with stress and its relationship with smoking in students of Ordu University

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the stress coping styles of students studying at Ordu University and to examine the relationship between these styles and sociodemographic data and smoking. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional and descriptive study, a questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics and the Stress Coping Styles Scale was administered to students studying at Ordu University between November 2023 and April 2024. The data were analyzed with IBM SPSS V23. Significance level was taken as p<0.05 Results: The mean age of the participants was 22.31 ± 3.66 years (min 18 - max 46) and the mean age of starting smoking was 18.6 ± 2.76 years (min 10 - max 27). It was seen that female students used emotion-oriented/passive and male students used problem-oriented/active styles more frequently in coping with stress. As the students' physical health, mental health and satisfaction with school life increased, they used active styles more frequently. Conclusion: University students who are dissatisfied with their school life and have poor physical and mental health have difficulty in coping with stress. Students' ability to cope with stress effectively and their high level of awareness are protective against smoking. Providing educational seminars for students to manage stress in the right way and supportive interviews in family medicine applications can help both to improve their quality of life and to prevent smoking. Key Words: Stress Coping Style, Smoking, University Students