The Relationship Between Social Competences And Coping Strategies In Czech University Students

Abstract

Social competences and the preference of coping strategies affect everyday functioning and dealing with demanding and stressful life situations, both in a general context and in the context of university study. The objective of this paper is to assess the relationship between these characteristics among university students. The Social Competences Inventory and the Coping Strategies Inventory (SVF-78) were used. The research sample consisted of 407 university students (average age = 26.38; SD = 7.09, range = 19-54, 114 males, 293 females). The results for the whole sample showed significant correlations between individual coping strategies and social competence scales, ranging from r = -.467 to .426 (explaining up to 22% of shared variance). Higher social competences generally increase the preference of avoidance and active control strategies and decrease escape strategies. Subsequent partial correlations and MANOVA test confirmed the impact of gender. Gender-related correlations revealed some differences in the strength and direction of the relationship. Male’s preference of coping strategies is affected mainly by the level of perceived masculinity, while female’s preference is more likely affected by their sensitivity to interpersonal functioning and by their social environment. An inference test confirmed significant differences of correlation coefficients between social orientation (control strategy) and reflexibility (negative strategy). The results suggest that interventions aimed at the development of social competences can positively affect the preference and use of desirable and effective coping strategies.