Case analysis

Stress can play a big role in our academic performance as students. A students level of
self-efficacy can effect on the overall effects of stress on a student. In our case analysis we are
given information on our patient Katya. Katya, a college freshman, suffers from severe test
anxiety. Although she maintains 3.0 GPA, she has low self-efficacy and believes her the labor she
puts into studying for her exams will make no difference in the overall outcome. As the semester
is coming to an end, Katya faces a dilemma of possibly losing her scholarship if she does not do
well on her next chemistry exam. Because Katyas test anxiety has gotten so severe, she had
panic attack while studying this afternoon and only has two days until her next exam.
Personally, I can relate to the struggles that Katya is facing now. Test taking has been one
of the most difficult aspects of school that I have yet to have a firm grasp of, and like Katya I
believe it may be because of a lack of confidence I have of myself. Back in my freshmen year of
highs school I use to have bad anxiety right before and during my exams. I would always have a
bad habit of always doubting myself and end up either taking too much time on a question or
getting it wrong when I should have gotten it right. My test anxiety had gotten so bad to a point
where I had believed I had some sort of learning disability. After working with my schools
counselor, I was able to work through my testing anxiety and I developed studying and test
taking technique to help alleviate the immediate stress I faced during tests.
I believe that Katyas largest problem is her poor self-efficacy. The best way for Katya to
increase her self-efficacy to target the four sources of self-efficacy: mastery experiences,
vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and emotional state (Kirk, n.d.). While studying, Katya
should set learning goals that are moderate in difficulty, but still very much achievable for her.
By creating moderate difficulty learning goals that are achievable, Katya is gaining a sense of

mastery of the material that she is studying. At the same time, Katya should also consider
studying with a friend who is generally successful in class and in studying. Observing a peer
succeed in the same subject can ultimately increase her own self efficacy (Kirk, n.d.). I also
recommend for Katya to try to include replace her negative self-talk phrases with more positive
self-talk phrases to help increase her self-efficacy. For example, instead of saying I will try to
do well on the next exam., she should replace her it with I WILL do well on my next exam.
This strategy positive self-talk has shown improvements with self-efficacy (Zetou et al., 2012).
Another recommendation for Katya is to try and take steps to help reduce the stress of
test taking. Katya should consider allocating more time in exercising. Being involved in
competitive or noncompetitive athletic exercise has shown to reduce levels of stress (Austin et
al., 2005). Another way to help combat the anxiety Katya has during her tests is to try and
change her studying methods. Finding a tutor or a friend to study with may help alleviate the
stress. Another technique to help alleviate stress is to try and mimic test taking conditions. By
putting herself in conditions she would normally be under, she can condition herself to be use to
the testing environment and normalize the feelings she gets. Katya should also help practice her
breathing techniques during her actual anxiety attacks. Many times people who experience
anxiety attacks tend to hyperventilate and feel panicked due to a lack of carbon dioxide within
their bodies. By practicing breathing techniques, Katya can help mitigate the actual physical
effects of her panic attacks.
Ultimately, I feel that Katya should try and seek professional help. For Katyas situation,
help from a psychologist can be very helpful in fighting her anxiety. There seems to be a
negative stigma with people who seek help from psychologists, but in fact 1 in 5 Americans
suffer from mental illnesses each year. A trained psychologist can effectively help Katya in

increasing her self-efficacy and help lower the stressors Katya faces in her everyday life, like
through cognitive behavioral therapy. Seeking help now would be the most beneficial for her and
she should not view it as a handicap. Finally, a great way for Katya or any student to gain
realistic expectations before beginning each semester is to each spend time and research the
classes they are about to partake in. Fully understanding the course load and the difficulty of the
course can help you better understand what you should expect and how much time you should
really be allocating into your classes. One of the worst things for any student to is to not be
prepared for a class, as this will only add stress to an already stressful life a student has.

Bibliography
Austin, V., Shah, S., & Muncer, S. (May 01, 2005). Teacher stress and coping strategies used to
reduce stress. Occupational Therapy International, 12, 2, 63-80.
Cohen, M. (2016). Student Stress & Anxiety Guide | LearnPsychology.org. Retrieved October
15, 2016, from http://www.learnpsychology.org/student-stress-anxiety-guide/
Kirk, K. (n.d.). Self-Efficacy. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from
http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/affective/efficacy.html
Zetou, E., Vernadakis, N., Bebetsos, E., & Makraki, E. (2012). The effect of self-talk in learning
the volleyball service skill and self-efficacy improvement. Journal of Human Sport and
Exercise JHSE, 7(4), 794-805. doi:10.4100/jhse.2012.74.07