Abstract:
The aim of the study was to investigate stress levels, experiences of stress and coping strategies of
non-UK students studying at the University of Manchester, UK. The main purpose was to consider their
perceived stress levels, their experiences of stress and their coping strategies and to link these to the
continents from which they came, their gender and whether they were graduates or undergraduates.
This research consisted of two phases. The first phase was a survey that used self-administered
structured questionnaire of 329 non-UK students who completed the perceived stress scale (PSS), the
inventory of college students recent life experiences (ICSRLE) and the coping inventory for stressful
situations (CISS). In addition, a further 74 UK students completed only the (PSS). Phase two was a
qualitative study consisting of open-ended in-depth interviews of 16 volunteers. In all, 403 students
participated in this study. Key findings indicated that, time pressure and work demands were the non-
UK students’ most stressful experiences. Anxiety, academic alienation and future academic prospects
and unfamiliarity with the educational and cultural norms added to their difficulties. Gender was the
most significant predictor of non-UK students’ stressful experiences, whilst female students expressed
higher levels of distress than their male counterparts. In addition, task and avoidance strategies were
used by all non-UK students to cope with stress, but European students tended to use more adaptive
coping strategies than did Asian and African students.
