Stress, Coping, and Shopping: Exploring Behavioural Responses
Kanchan Bisht *
G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India.
Surya Tejaswi Desu
G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Stress is an inherent part of human experience, arising from different sources such as environmental pressures, academic challenges, and personal life events etc. It manifests as a physiological response to perceived threats, impacting individual’s daily lives and necessitating adaptive adjustments. Coping with stress is essential for an individual in maintaining mental and physical well-being. Coping strategies vary among individuals; one intriguing coping mechanism that has garnered attention is "Retail therapy". This study explores how shopping serves as a coping strategy and sheds some light on its role in stress management by female PG students of GBPUAT, Pantnagar as well as its impact on mental and emotional well-being. This study uses the Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale, Carver’s Brief COPE Scale and for assessing shopping behavior, questions derived from Martinez-Lopez’s study in 2016. Correlation is the main data analysis technique used in this research. The results revealed that coping strategies play a key role in stress management, while stress levels are inversely related to shopping behavior.
Keywords: Stress, coping, shopping behavior, stress management, well being