EN
We assesed the effectiveness of coping with stress during a 30 hours driving course by people with different levels of stress. Volunteers aged 18–30 took participated: 8 women and 7 men in the control group, and 9 women and 9 men preparing for the exam. Before the start of the course all participants took the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS). Saliva samples to measure cortisol were collected from each of the participants: before the start of the course, before the 1st, 13th and 28th driving hour. Blood pressure was measured: before the course, during the 15th hour and the 30th hour of the course. Participants in the control group had one saliva sample taken and their blood pressure was measured once. The results suggest that the hour of the course is related to the level of the cortisol – the highest level is achieved before the first hour of the course and then it decreases in time (ANOVA: F3,64=14.9, P<0.001). Systolic pressure is related to the hour of the course (F2,48=11.3, P<0.001) and it reaches its peak before the state exam. There is a similar relation in case of diastolic pressure (F2,51=6.4, P=0.003). CISS test has shown that there are differences in copying with stress (between sexes as well as age-related).