Relationship Between Digital Stress and Coping Styles Among Adolescent Girls in Pakistani Population

Abstract

Digital stress emerges as a particular challenge, arising from prolonged use and connectivity with digital devices (Hefner & Vorderer, 2016). Coping styles refer to the relatively consistent ways individuals respond to and manage stressful situations (Carver, 1997). The current study studies the relationship between digital stress and coping styles amongst adolescent girls in Pakistan. Further, it emphasizes on comparing group differences in digital stress based on screen time. A correlational cross-sectional quantitative research design was used, and a total of 207 participants were recruited through convenience sampling, aged 14 to 18. Digital stress was assessed using the Digital Stress Scale and Coping Styles were assessed through Brief COPE Scale. Data was investigated in IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 26) using Pearson product correlation, simple linear regression and One way ANOVA. Findings revealed higher levels of digital stress had a moderate positive relationship with avoidant coping and emotion-focused coping. Regression results showed that digital stress led to avoidant coping among adolescent girls (r² = 0.21). Group differences with reference to screen time showed advanced levels of digital stress with higher daily average screen time usage. Overall, the results high spot the pervasive nature of digital stress among adolescent girls and the coping styles that are associated with it.