Running head: Stress among College Students 1

Stress Among College Students

Denice Ross Angelo Isidro

Mr. Aaron M. Abdow

ENG 101 Section 54

01 January 2015
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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify the stressful experiences in the lives of college

students. It covers the sources and natures of stress that affects a student in his/her college

life that brings notice to the difference in levels of stress for each individual. The main points

that are covered in this study was the inner and outer sources of stress among students,

effects of stress, how to deal with stress, and the difference of stress from high school and

college life. The questionnaires that were conducted included 10 statements to which the

50 participants from different universities were to respond concerning the source and

nature of stress experienced.

Keywords: stress, college students, academics

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Stress among College Students

College has been found to be stressful among many individuals. Stress can be caused

by environmental, psychological, biological, and social factors. It can be negative or positive

to an individual, depending on the strength and persistence of the stress, the individual’s

personality, cognitive appraisal of the stress, and social support. According to Sagan-Cohen

(1988), “Stress is a process in which environmental demands strain in an

organism’s adaptive capacity, resulting in both psychological as well as biological changes

that could place a person at risk for illness”.

It is unclear whether most stressors result from interpersonal relationships or

academics. In addition, research is needed to clarify whether these stressors are mostly

daily hassles or major live events. The sections covered in this paper are the inner and outer

sources of stress, the effects of stress, coping with stress, and the difference of stress from

high school and college. The purpose of this study was to determine what sources of stress

are the most prevalent among college students, and to examine the nature of these

stressors.

Inner Sources of Stress

There are many sources of stress in a college life. It can improve or worsen a

student’s performance in academic levels of achievement. The complications and conditions

(stress) encountered by college students may differ from time to time (Hirsch & Ellis, 1996).

The environment in which college students live is quite different. While jobs outside of the

university setting involve their own sources of stress, such as evaluation by superiors and

striving for goals, the continuous evaluation that college students are subjected to, such as

weekly tests and papers, is one which is not often seen by non-students (Wright, 1964). The
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pressure to earn good grades and to earn a degree has a very high importance (Hirsch &

Ellis, 1996). Earning high grades is not the only source of stress for college students. Other

potential sources of stress include excessive homework, unclear assignments, and

uncomfortable classrooms.

One of the many sources of stress from college is the pressure of quizzes. Most

students find that quizzes are one of the highest stressor in college. Low scores and grades

depress a student and increases the stress the student experiences.

The number of assignments is also considered as a source of stress. Excessive

homework are stressing to students. With the given deadline to submit, it increases the

amount of stress encountered.

Outer Sources of Stress

There are different kinds of stressors that revolve around a college student. Not only

does a student stress from college workload, they also have to deal with problems outside

of school. These stressors can come from peer pressures, family members, interpersonal

relationships, intrapersonal conflicts, and financial matters.

One of the many stressors in college students is the financial matter. There are a lot

of students who work for income in order to pay their tuition. High amounts of stress are

perceived from time-management and the ability to be flexible for studying.

Another outer source of stress is dealing with the interpersonal relationship of a

student. Engaging in social activities can be found stressing, especially for those who are

introverts. It can be the simple concerns that can stress a student, for instance, the conflict

with a roommate, working and adapting with different people, or problems with the family.

A frequent reported stressor of a student that he/she faces is the intrapersonal

conflict. There are many factors that stress a student with intrapersonal problems: anxiety,
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fear, or worrying of their score as they progress in college. Akbar, et.al (2008) study said

that stress and anxiety in children and teenagers are just as prevalent as in adults.

Negligence of parents, high expectations in academic or other performances abused

childhood, growing up tensions and demand for familial responsibility etc.

Effects of Stress

The effects of stress in the lives of college students vary. Intense pressure from

stressful events may interfere with academic performance, cause physical or mental health

problems and result in unusual changes in behavior. A critical issue concerning stress among

students is its effect on learning.

The Yerkes-Dodson Law (1908) postulated that individuals under low and high stress

learn the least and that those under moderate stress learn the most. A field study and

laboratory tests support the notion that excessive stress is harmful to students'

performance. Mechanisms that explain why students perform badly under stress include

"hyper vigilance" (excessive alertness to a stressful situation resulting in panic--for example,

over studying for an exam) and "premature closure" (quickly choosing a solution to end a

stressful situation--for example, rushing through an exam).

In a study Dawood (1995) found that students stress affects their academic

performance. He further showed that the most frequently mentioned stressor by

students was school and fear related stressors. Many teenagers tend to become non-

conformist and fall prey to teenage depression in response to a variety of growing up

anxieties. However, stress induced fears and anxiety in children adversely affects children’s

performances at various levels.

One model that is useful in understanding the effects of stress among students is the

person-environmental model. According to one variation of this model, stressful events can
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be appraised by an individual as "challenging" or "threatening" (Lazarus 1966). When

students appraise their education as a challenge, stress can bring them a sense of

competence and an increased capacity to learn. When education is seen as a threat,

however, stress can elicit feelings of helplessness and a foreboding sense of loss.

Coping with Stress

The amount of stress experienced may be influenced by the individual's ability to

effectively cope with stressful events and situations (D'Zurilla & Sheedy, 1991). If stress is

not dealt with effectively, feelings of loneliness and nervousness, as well as sleeplessness

and excessive worrying may result (Wright, 1967). It is important that stress intervention

programs be designed to address stress of college students.

There are many ways students can cope with stress. School leaders should give

concerted attention to helping students cope with factors causing stress at school. They can

open up clubs that provides relaxation or leisure activities. It is important that stress

intervention programs be designed to address stress of college students. However, in order

to design an effective intervention, the stressors specific to high school students must be

determined (Wright, 1967).

Difference of Stress from High school and College

College students, especially freshmen, are a group particularly prone to stress

(D'Zurilla & Sheedy, 1991) due to the transitional nature of high school life. They must

adjust to being away from home for the first time, maintain a high level of academic

achievement, and adjust to a new social environment. College students, regardless of year

in school, often deal with pressures related to finding a job or a potential life partner.
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The dynamic relationship between the person and environment in stress perception

and reaction is especially magnified in college students. The problems and situations

encountered by college students may differ from those faced by high school students

(Hirsch & Ellis, 1996). The environment in which college students live is quite different.

While jobs outside of the university setting involve their own sources of stress, such as

evaluation by superiors and striving for goals, the continuous evaluation that college

students are subjected to, such as weekly tests and papers, is one which is not often seen by

high school students (Wright, 1964).

Conclusion

Stress is a condition about which the students in the study have concern.

Unmanaged stress may have serious consequences. School leaders should give concerted

attention to helping students cope with factors causing stress at school. A planned effort to

provide assistance and support to students should include opportunities for meaningful and

direct communication, professional counseling services, the enhancement of the worth and

dignity of all individuals through democratic practice and personal recognition of all

students for their contributions to the success of the school and its programs. There are

different sources of stress that are experienced by college students. There are two main

sources of stress: internal sources of stress, which comes from college workload, and

external sources of stress that comes from relationships with others, or financial matters.

The effects of stress in the lives of college students differ. It can cause reduced physical

resistance, lower productivity, disruptive routines, cause behavior problems, and result in

physical or mental illness or numerous other anti-social conditions. There are different ways

to cope with stress. It is necessary to understand the causes of stress among college
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students so that appropriate action may be taken and programs implemented to help those

affected cope with stress and live as a happier person. There is a difference of stress from

high school and college because these are two different levels in life. In the end, there are a

lot of stresses experienced that affects the college students and is inevitable.
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Primary Research

The purpose of this survey is to show what the sources and nature of stress are

among college students. This study is intended to review stressful events in the lives of

college students experiencing stress.

Method

The data for this research was obtained from college students from different

colleges and universities. There was no specified gender and age, and was conducted

between December 3-10, 2014. The survey was conducted through the use of the website:

Survey Monkey.

Findings

According to the survey, it indicates the different sources of stress among students.

There were 28 students (56% of the respondents) who answered ‘sometimes’ as they get

pressured in the numbers of quizzes, therefore, it shows that quizzes are not much of a

stressor in college life. There were 34 students (68% of the respondents) that answered

usually or sometimes that felt like the teachers give too much workload to do. There were

16 of the students (32% of the respondents) that answered ‘always’ in dealing with family

problems while 15 students (30% of the respondents) only answered ‘sometimes’. There is a

slight difference of 4% in respondents whether they feel that there is a difference in

workload during high school and college. Most of the working students (44% of the

respondents) answered that they are not pressured in adjusting their time. There was a

huge response of ‘always’ (40% of the respondents) when asked if they felt a change in
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behavior due to stress. The survey shows that most of the students (42% of the

respondents) who are under heavy stress pressure have grades of B to C. In the open-ended

question, there were a lot of students who responded that they eat and sleep to deal with

their stress situations while others prefer to “read a good book” and mostly to just relax.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the most important findings were how the students cope with stress

in their lives, and the factors that stresses a student. The survey shows that whatever a

student does, he/she will experience stress. No matter what the factors or circumstances

they face, stress is inevitable. The limitation of this survey was conducted only to 50

students from different universities.

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References

Hirsch, J. K., & Ellis, J. B. (1996). Differences in life stress and reasons for living among

student suicide ideators and non-Ideators. 377–386.

Wright, J. J. (1964). Environmental stress evaluation in a student community. The Journal of

the American School Health Association. ). 12(5), 325-336

Sagan-Cohen, H. D., & Lowental, U. (1988). Sources of stress among Israeli dental students.

The Journal of the American College Health Association. 36, 317-321

Akbar Hussain, Ashutosh Kumar and Abid Husain. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied

Psychology, April 2008, Vol. 34, Special Issue, 70-73

Dawood, N. (1995). Stressors encountered by Junior high school students and their relation

to grade point average, sex and grade.

Jordan, Deanship of Academic Research, 22,

3671-3706

D'Zurilla, T. J., & Sheedy, C. F. (1991). Relation between social problem-solving ability and

subsequent level of psychological stress in students. Journal of Personality and Social

Psychology. 61(5), 841-846.

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Appendix
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