Coping, mental health status, and current life regret in college women who differ in their lifetime pregnancy status: A resilience perspective

This study examined the current mental health status, coping strategies, and perceived life regret of three types of female college students (n = 277): those who had never been pregnant (67.9%, n= 188); those who became pregnant at or before age 18 who were a priori considered to be resilient (14.8%, n = 41); and those who had experienced a pregnancy after age 18 (17.3%, n = 48). Data were collected at a diverse urban public university in the Southeast. This university has a significant number of commuter and non-traditional students. Results indicated that college women who had experienced an adult pregnancy reported significantly fewer maladaptive coping strategies than never-pregnant college women and those who had experienced a teenage pregnancy. Surprisingly, both groups of ever pregnant college women expressed significantly more life regret than never pregnant college women. Among the college women who had experienced a teenage pregnancy, two groups were delineated: those who were "thriving" versus those who were "at-risk" with regards to their current symptoms of depression, hostility, and hopelessness. Women in the "at-risk" group were significantly less likely to be simultaneously parenting and attending college than those in the "thriving" group. One potential implication is that identifying and intervening with these potentially at-risk college women may help improve retention rates and student morale at universities with a diverse student body.