Gender differences in coping strategies of college students in the wake of the mass shooting at Northern Illinois University

This study examined gender differences of college students following the mass shooting at Northern Illinois University on February 14, 2008. Data collection began 3-6 months following the tragedy. Participants completed a COPE Inventory and were asked to think back on how frequently they used the coping strategy given one week following the event and how frequently they used it at the time of survey. Females used more emotion-focused coping strategies one week following and 3-6 months after the event. There were no gender differences in avoidance coping strategies in either time period. Females also used more acceptance coping strategies 3-6 months following the tragedy than did males. In general, there was a significant difference in the use of coping strategies over time following the February 14, 2008 tragedy, leading to less use of avoidance, emotion-focused, and problem-focused coping strategies and more use of acceptance coping strategies. Overall, the participants indicated that emotion-focused coping strategies (seeking emotional support from someone) and problem-focused coping strategies (religious coping) were the most effective in coping after the events of February 14, 2008. Implications of this study and future research are discussed.