IMPACT OF ADAPTIVE AND MALADAPTIVE HUMOR STYLES ON STRESS COPING AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

The present study investigated the impact of affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive, and self-defeating humor styles on the stress coping of university students. Using a sample of 349 participants calculated with the Raosoft Sample Size Calculator from Abbottabad University. The researchers employed the Humor Styles and the Stress Coping Scale to evaluate these constructs. Descriptive statistics, multiple regression analysis, and independent sample t-tests were utilized to analyze the data, with reliability analyses confirming the psychometric properties of all instruments. The findings revealed that adaptive humor styles (affiliative and self-enhancing) significantly and positively predicted stress coping. These results suggest that students who utilize humor to facilitate social cohesion or maintain a positive internal perspective are better equipped to navigate academic and personal stressors. Conversely, maladaptive humor styles (aggressive and self-defeating) significantly and negatively predicted stress coping. This indicates that using humor to disparage others or oneself may serve as an obstacle to effective stress management and emotional resilience. Regarding gender disparities, a significant difference was identified only within the domain of aggressive humor, where male students reported higher scores than their female counterparts. The study suggests that counseling services and educational interventions should prioritize the development of adaptive humor styles as a strategic component of stress management and resilience-building programs for university students.

Keywords: Aggression, Humor Styles, Stress Coping, University Students