ABSTRACT

The role of previous experience on stress management is well documented, yet the relationship between stress management and gender differences is, to date, poorly understood. The present study hopes to explore the differences of stress management techniques between males and females. Volunteers were asked to complete an online questionnaire to determine their status on being male or female, range of age of the participant, types of activities and hobbies they are involved in, the overall level of stress and the presence of healthy coping skills for stress. It was expected that those who have hobbies will show increased numbers of coping skills and lower stress levels than those with no to little amount of hobbies. It was expected that men and women differ within different stress management techniques. Analysis demonstrated significant differences between men and women, being that women had higher stress levels than men. There are clear gender differences in the techniques used to manage stress. For example, women are more likely to use cleaning and organizing as stress management techniques whereas men use more of their general hobbies to relieve stress. Future potential research may include what type of cleaning and organizing women prefer to do and what kind of hobbies men are more likely to do to relieve stress. This knowledge will contribute to the existing knowledge in this field by understanding why different genders relieve stress in different ways. This study can help others understand the things they do when they are under stress from life activities, work, school, family, etc.