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Different Effects of Stress on Male and Female

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Article in International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling January 2014

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ISSN: 2146-8192 The Online Journal of Counseling and Education, 2014, 3(3), 31-39

Different Effects of Stress on Male and Female Students

Masoumeh POURRAJAB*
Educational Administration, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia
mpourajab@gmail.com

Mohtaram RABBANI
Psychology of Child Development, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia

Sara KASMAIENEZHADFARD
Curriculum and Instruction, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia

Abstract

Stress can be regarded as any internal or external factors, which makes adaptation to environment difficult. The
purpose of this literature review paper is to describe the components of academic stress, as well as to identify the
effect of stress on male and female students. Stress is considered as a positive or negative experience among the
students. It can dominate the academic process and the privacy of the students. The result of this study is shows
the difference between the level of stress of male and female students. The importance of academic stress can be
conducted in this study. This is because of the difference effects of stress on students based on several studies.
Keywords: stress, gender, stressor, students.

*
Corresponding author: Masoumeh Pourrajab
 Pourrajab et al.

Outside forces impinge on the individual would be regarded as stress (Shaikh, et al.,
2004). Stress is defined as any factor, acting internally or externally, which makes
adaptation to environment difficult and which induces increased effort on the part of the
individual to maintain a state of equilibrium between himself and herself and the external
environment (Richlin-Klonsky & Hoe, 2003, pp. 2-3). Stress have a lot of definition, but
most of the know ones highlight stress as any factor that threatens the health of an
individual or has an adverse effect on the functioning of the body(Shaikh, et al., 2004).
Stress is a natural event that all of people experiences in their life. All people have minimum
stress but excessive stress may cause anxiety and its harmful for health. Disruptions in
physiological and psychological health are often led by high level of stress (Lo, 2002). One
topic which has a noticeable percentage of studies and investigations during last and current
decades is how human cope with hard or stressful situation (Mazumdar, Gogoi, Buragohain,
& Haloi, 2012).

In recent years, stress has become an important topic for researchers (Ongori &
Agolla, 2009, p. 63) due to stressful daily lives in recent years (Calaguas, 2011). Experience
stress is normal for students, because they study in high competitive world and they must
adjust their academy life in this situation. The harsh long lasting stress can both declined the
academic effectiveness of students, and increase the potential use of drugs and narcotic along
with the negative behaviours (Richlin-Klonsky & Hoe, 2003).

Physical and mental health disruptive will come to students life because of stress. The
major concerns among the students summarizes in these issues (Mundt, 1996). The students
have the destructive and constructive approaches and coping strategies (Shaikh, et al., 2004).
School has always been considered as a highly stressful situation for students. There are some
reasons for stress among students like as exam, assignments, and financial problem. Students
encounter with some physical, emotional, social, as well as family problems. These problems
affect students learning and academic performance (Chew-Graham, Rogers, & Yassin,
2003). Other problems such as anxiety, depression, sleep problems interpersonal conflict, and
lower academic performance are some outcome of stress (Yusoff, et al., 2011).

Research of the knowledge and view of stress along gender lines is a fascinating
worthily because, there is great disparity in the stress of female and male, which is illustrated
in this study. Therefore, this study tries to show some attitude about the difference effect of
stress on male and female students.

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The Online Journal of Counseling and Education, 2014, 3(3), 31-39

Stress

There are many definitions of stress. It can be defined as a state of mental or

emotional strain or suspense and also as a number of normal reactions of the body (mental,
emotional, and physiological) designed for self-preservation (Shaikh, et al., 2004). In 2003,
Richlin-Klonsky and Hoe stated physically and mentally reactions of daily requests which are
often linked with changes are called stress (p. 3). Gibbons, Dempster, and Moutray (2011)
maintain that this phenomenon can be the outcome of moderately arousal resulting which
leads to mentality or physicality problems. Selye (1956) claimed that, stress is undoubtedly an
important personal human problem. The uncomplicated stress is how our mind and body deal
with the demands that we place on it. The complicate one is a condition of psychological and
physical stimulation which is initiated as a result of a threat, challenge or change in ones
environment.

As mentioned before, the usual event that is not removed from the daily life is stress.
Many of these phenomenons potentially happen in the life. However, there are different levels
of stresses that can be classified them into stressful or intensive stress and minimal stress
which can affect on the people (Mazumdar, et al., 2012). Shaikh with his colleagues (2004)
showed that stress composes different stressors which may reason of make worse decision,
reduced attention, decrease of self-esteem, raised anxiety and depression. Responses to stress
effects the mind, body, and behaviour along those we live, work and cooperate (Mazumdar, et
al., 2012).

In stressful situations, people seek the ways to reduce it, because they cannot tolerate
the persistence of the tension. The extra stress traces its signs often on everything. It is vital to
learn how to recognize when our stress is not controllable. Recently, Mazumdar (2012) with
his/her colleagues express that, the most dangerous thing about this phenomenon is how
easily it can move in on us. Stress cannot be simply taken out from our lives; however we
should try to minimize it, and the easily shift of stress inside people is considered as the major
peril in this phenomenon.

Management of Stress

We cannot control life stress, but we can manage the effect of it in us. Concentrating
on the positive is one of the ways to reduce stress that offers profound results that problems
we are facing are easier to solve with a more output approach (Mazumdar, et al., 2012).

33
 Pourrajab et al.

Other ways are be realistic, make plan to divide larger tasks to small parts and working
through one by one. In order to manage the stress, there are different techniques such as;
exercise regularly, various ways of relaxation like meditation, schedule the time for learning
or going out, and other innovative strategies (Carter, Elzubeir, Abdulrazzaq, Revel, &
Townsend, 2003). The main important factor in the management of stress is the degree of
willingness of people to create the needed changes for a healthy lifestyle (Shaikh, et al.,
2004).

Meisenhelder (1985) in his/her research prove that, self-esteem is the primary

requirements and key factor in the human health physically or mentally. Having high self-
esteem creates obstacles to improve, so the negative consequences such as lack of recognition
about themselves to accept their weakness rather than those who have low self-esteem that
depends on their personalities and tyrannical (Lo, 2002). Another definition of self-esteem by
Rosenberg (1965), reverence themselves and they have accepted that are perfect and
competent, it means they consider themselves superior not inferior than others.

Stress is always thought as a really bad issue, but researchers say its not. In fact it is
how we manage those results in positive or negative outcomes. All people need a certain
amount of stress to task efficiently, too much or too little stress is not helpful and not
productive. Too amount of this can lead to boredom and depression, too much can make
anxiety and poor health. But the right amount of acute stress tunes up the brain and improves
performance and health. Some amounts of stress are good to push people just to the level of
optimal alertness, behavioural and cognitive performance (DNA, 2013).

Stress Among Students

Stress is an unavoidable phenomenon in every aspects of students life. It is generally

an emotional imbalance which may be due to several reasons such as exams, assignments,
papers and projects, competitive nature in field of study, financial problems, worried about
future job prospects. Students are often deal with pressures related to earn good marks and to
get a degree is very high. There were other potential source like excessive homework, unclear
assignment and uncomfortable classroom (Mazumdar, et al., 2012).

A students life is faced with various stressors, like as the force of academics with a
commitment of success and achievement, unexpected difficulties in their future, to be a
member of the system, social, physical and emotional problems among family that can impact
on their learning abilities as well as their academic performance potentially (Chew-Graham, et

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al., 2003). Some of these students find it difficult to deal with the stress and lag behind, while
others see the pressure as challenge to work harder (Shaikh, et al., 2004).

The positive or negative effectiveness of stress among student impacts on the lives
and performances of the students (Jogaratnam & Buchanan, 2004). It is due to stressful
activities of the educational works (Ongori & Agolla, 2009, p. 69). The outcome of the
inability in adjusting the academic stress will lead to the psycho-social health emotionally
(Wilks, 2008).

Sulaiman, Hassan, Sapian, and Abdullah (2009) suggest that young people always face
problems in adapting with various stresses. Among people, students often have serious
difficulties such as academic performance, personal social problems in this issue. Students are
starting to shift from a life that is dependent on others to a life that needs them to release the
dependency and start carrying their own responsibilities.

Contribution of Students Stress

The main reasons that increase the stress of students can be classified as follow; the
academic stress on the base of literature, the organizing the time, financial issues, interactions
with teachers, individual aims, social performance, arrangement to the school climate,
inability in networks (Wilks, 2008), admission actions, the high parental standards, the tight
schedule of academic performance, the time of classes, the relationship between teachers and
students, non-conducive physical environment of classrooms, the absence of healthy teacher-
student contact, unreasonable discipline of school rules, punitive measurement physically, the
works of schools in unbalanced form, teaching and learning methodology, the different views
of teachers, emphasis on the weakness of student rather than their strength points (Masih &
Gulrez, 2006), the ideas of the students, parents and teachers themselves (Calaguas, 2011).

Some researchers such as Kariv and Heiman (2005) Misra and McKean (2000) Von
Ah, Ebert, Ngamvitroj, Park, and Hang (2004) reported that, course requirements; time
management issues; individual aims; social performance; the ability to adopt with the
environment of the schools and inability to access the protection of networks are some
demand for academic stress.

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 Pourrajab et al.

Difference Effect of Stress on Male and Female Students

The level of stress is both different among male and females students (Amr, El Gilany,
& El-Hawary, 2008). Researches about the experience and the discernment of stress by
regarding to the gender of people is not only fascinating but also is controversial, because of
different approaches of researchers such as Misra and Castillo (2004) that they illustrated the
views of male and female are different toward stress. Also, Jogaratnam and Buchanan (2004)
believed the different approaches of stress between men and women is essential especially
whenever they encounter with pressure because of stress. In relation, Sulaiman et al. (2009)
have showed the rate and types of stress among the female students are more than male due to
their emotional and sensitive characters and attitude to their environment.

Recently, Mazumdar, et al. (2012), reported that the various symptoms which lead to
stress mostly seen in more numbers in females as compared to males. Garrett (2001)
demonstrated five major provenances among the female that respectively are failing in their
exams, the pressure of exams, to be rejected by someone, the break up in their relations and
finally financial problems.

Two stressful issues among female are the financial and academic problems (Richlin-
Klonsky & Hoe, 2003). Kai-Wen (2009) findings suggested that unlike the female students,
the main problem of male is the family problems; the stress of higher grades students relate to
the mental (emotional) and physical factors; while those of students who take a loan are more
stressful in the mentioned above issues.

Calaguas (2011) claimed that the significant difference between the female and male
student is because of their view of subject, lecturers, academic program, classroom their
attitude toward the stressors, but did not significantly difference between enrolment or
admission perception, their classmate, and the stressors financial issues. If we compare the
mentioned points with the male students in the terms of their scores, the male students are
more stressful than female. On the other hand, female students scored higher also which
related to teachers, classrooms, finances, and expectations (Calaguas, 2011). So there is a
wide disparity between male and female students toward the academic stress. The stressors
factors such as the subjects, the lecturers, environments of academic places like their classes,
and the expectation of the both groups can be linked with this phenomenon.

The earlier studies illustrate the various effectiveness of female and male stress, for
instance Misra and Castillo (2004) have proved there is a different perceptions between male

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The Online Journal of Counseling and Education, 2014, 3(3), 31-39

and female American and international students toward stress. So the scholars have proposed
that mental health practitioners may also consider using treatment interventions on the basis
of these differences.

Different findings of researchers on the various rates of male and female students
show some similarities and differences between them. For example Eun-Jun (2009) has found
that the stress of female that administered with the international students is higher, and in this
vein Matud (2004) has got the higher score of female stress in comparison with male students
while Sulaiman et al. (2009) found that male students experienced less stress compared to the
female students. On the contrary, Misra and Mckean (2000) have proved that there is a
positive link with the anxiety, the academic stress, as well as the trait anxiety that can justify
the academic stress. So they claim individuals who scored high on trait anxiety experienced
higher stressors and reactions to stressors, and females exhibited higher anxiety (both trait and
state) than males (p. 49).

Finally; it is essential to notice the importance of this study because of previous

documents that justified the effect of stress on the students (Kumar & Jejurkar, 2005; Masih
& Gulrez, 2006; Ongori & Agolla, 2009; Shaikh, et al., 2004; Sulaiman, et al., 2009). Most of
the studies in this field still attempt to find the impact of stress on students and to find the
ways to improve the academic performance of students mentally and physically.

Conclusion

This study offers and determines the impact of stress on male and female students. The
response of the daily demands physically or mentally is called stress that is very important
today. Stress is an unavoidable phenomenon in every aspects of students life. The factors
which are contributed to the stress are the management of time, intercommunication with
teachers, high standards of parents, student-teacher ratio, distraction in unfavourable
environment such as class, and expectations of teachers and etc. (Mazumdar, et al., 2012).
The stress levels are different between male and female students (Amr, et al., 2008). Stress
effects on the female more especially in academic career. It was also interesting to highlight
that significant difference in the perception male and female students regarding the stressors.
These various perceptions can be attributed to the male and female attitude.

37
 Pourrajab et al.

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