AbstractsPsychology

Studies have shown that being employed while pursuing post-secondary education may lead to higher levels of perceived stress and unhealthy behaviours. The current study involved a hierarchical regression model to analyze both perceived stress and blood pressure (BP) as a function of the number of hours worked per week (HW). Seventy-four undergraduate students from the from the University of Windsor completed measures of perceived stress, coping, physical activity, and daily hassles, and had their BP recorded after ten minutes of rest. There was a correlation between HW and systolic BP (r = .23, p = .04). Problem-focused coping was negatively associated with levels of perceived stress (r = -.23, p < .05), whereas emotion-focused coping was positively associated (r = -.57, p < .001). Energy drink users had higher HW than non-users (t = 2.14, p < .05). There was no change in BP from before and after questionnaire administration.