Terry 1

Madison Terry

English Composition II

Dean Leonard

4 May 2022

How are students affected by stress?

Each school year, a large number of students are affected by stress, and many of them

struggle to manage their stress and find ways to lessen it. Excessive stress can be detrimental to

one's mental and physical health. It is essential to understand how stress affects students and how

to deal with stressful situations. If stress is managed by students ineffectively, there can be

adverse effects on mental and physical health, academic performance, and social behavior. It is

important to be aware of the dangers of excessive stress and how to deal with stressful situations.

Stress is a sensation of feeling overwhelmed by emotional and mental pressure. A wide

range of situations or life experiences can create stress. Any situation or incident that an

individual perceives as a risk or problem is a psychological stressor (Mental Health Foundation).

Stressors and how people are affected by stress are different for everyone. However, the impact

of stressor levels on a person is determined by how the person handles the pressure. Some

strategies to reduce stress may work differently for different people because everyone reacts to

stressors in different ways.

Due to many internal and external expectations, stress has remained a regular part of

student life. For a while, it was thought that students were the ones who were least affected by

stress and anxiety. Stress is widely recognized as a health problem that impacts people of any

age. Students have always encountered stressors at schools, such as academic deadlines or an

increased workload, but when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, students were faced with new
 Terry 2

challenges. Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, many students experienced increased stress and

anxiety levels. Many students struggled to stay motivated, concentrate, and meet deadlines when

learning remotely. Anxiety and concern for oneself and family members, social and physical

activity restrictions because of quarantine, and abrupt, dramatic lifestyle changes were all added

stressors resulting from the pandemic (Son). In many ways, the pandemic raised awareness about

the mental health of students.

In the Journal of Medical Internet Research, Changwon Son explores the impacts of

Covid-19 on academic achievement and mental wellbeing. Studies suggest that students' stress

levels were higher during the pandemic. "As shown in Figure [1], at least 54% (up to 91% for

some categories) of participants indicated negative impacts (either mild, moderate, or severe) of

COVID-19 on academic-, health-, and lifestyle-related outcomes"(Son).

 Terry 3

Figure 1. depicts how participants ranked emotional problems in terms of their negative

repercussions in descending order (Moderate, Mild, and None).

Students may develop physical symptoms due to excessive stress from academic content

and settings. Headaches, shaking, neck and back discomfort, unsettled stomach, and raised blood

pressure, are some of the physical symptoms of stress (Stupart). Excessive stress can have severe

effects on students' health, detrimental to their academic performance. If students experience

physical symptoms, they may be less likely to work on their assignments or study for upcoming

tests, which could affect their academic performance.

Stress can affect physical health because students are more inclined to participate in

harmful activities due to stress. Students with higher stress levels are more likely to consume

more junk food, exercise less frequently, and not get enough sleep each night. "Similarly, 78.2%

(N=61) of the "stressed" group had consumed junk food, whereas 61.9% (N=39) of the lower

stress group had done so" (Hudd). As a result of high stress, many students consume alcohol and

drugs. Students with high stress are likely to turn to drugs and alcohol to alleviate stress.

Students that consume drugs and alcohol to cope with stress are more at risk for substance abuse.

People who practice healthy behaviors have significantly lower stress levels. Studies suggest that

regularly engaging in healthy habits can reduce stress.

Stress has been linked to disrupted sleep patterns and sleep deprivation in students.

Managing time can be very stressful for students because they have a lot to do and not very much

time. Many students lose sleep or have troubling sleeping as a result of poor time management.

"...sleep disruption caused by drinking excess caffeine and pulling all-nighters is associated with

increased anxiety among college students" (LeBlanc). Poor sleeping patterns have been reported

as a result of high academic stress. "There was a significant negative correlation between sleep
 Terry 4

inconsistency and overall score (r (86) = −0.36, p < 0.001), indicating that the greater

inconsistency in sleep duration was associated with a lower overall score [Figure 2]" (Okano).

Figure 2. The relationship between sleep hours and overall scores.

Excessive stress can have severe psychological effects on students. A lack of or loss of

productivity, absenteeism, injury, burnout, anxiety, substance misuse, suicidal ideation, poor

attention, learning impairments, poor memory, and poor academic performance are all symptoms

of stress (Sukup and Clayton). If students experience symptoms of stress, they may lose the
 Terry 5

motivation to do their best on things like finishing assignments or studying for tests. It is

common for students to feel psychological stress as a result of parental pressure to stand out

among classmates. Depression was also discovered among stressed adolescents since it is linked

to the inability to concentrate, fear of failure, poor future evaluation, and other factors (Busari).

If people don't effectively deal with difficult life situations, they may be more likely to

develop depression. Vijay Mahadeorao Bhujad notes that every year there is a large percentage

of the student population has developed depression as a result of excessive stress from school.

He also mentions that depression is commonly triggered by increasingly difficult assignments,

loneliness, and difficulties with studies and grading. In college, students are confronted with

various new stressors, and if they are unable to manage them, serious effects like depression may

develop.

Excessive stress is also linked to low self-esteem. Students that are "stressed" are

dissatisfied with their test scores, grades, how much they weigh, and level of fitness. Stressed

students are clearly dissatisfied about a number of life issues that influence their self-esteem"

(Hudd). More stressed students have worse self-esteem and have a bad attitude toward their

health. Stressed students are also more likely to doubt themselves, which could cause them to do

worse on assignments or get low scores on exams.

Excessive stress can have an impact on social health. Students may experience high stress

because of a number of social factors. Relationships, roommates, and other social situations and

interactions can be a stressor for students. Balancing relationships and schoolwork can be a

difficult task. Many students have trouble completing their assignments and staying involved in

their relationships. Students that begin relationships, but attempt to focus on their classes might

experience stress from their significant other. If a student starts to devote more time to their
 Terry 6

relationships and ignores their classes, their academic performance may be affected and their

grades could be at risk.

Academic performance can be negatively affected by stress. Students' academic

performance may be affected because they may not be able to achieve their educational goals

because of stress. One of the main stressors for students is academic pressure. Since so many

students strive to excel academically, they may face stressful situations and events while

pursuing their goals. Students may experience increased stress if they cannot manage and

complete their work by deadlines. If students are tired or overwhelmed from the stress, they may

be unable to focus or have trouble participating during their lessons. Some students also

experience academic pressure from trying to impress family or teachers with their schoolwork

and test scores (Stupart).

Stressful academic situations can negatively impact students' performance. Numerous

studies have shown that students' stress has a negative impact on their academics. Stress is linked

to poor test scores, in addition to having an excessive amount of information to study but

inadequate time to grasp it. Higher stress levels can impact a student's ability to do well on

assignments or exams.

Although stressors in school are inevitable, there are many ways to manage stress.

Students must use strategies to manage their stress so they do not experience any physical or

mental symptoms. For many students, it isn't easy to find a balance between their schoolwork

and their life outside of school. Many students struggle with time management, which usually

leads to stressful situations later. If students use strategies to manage their stress, their academic

performance is less likely to be negatively affected.

 Terry 7

Many strategies can help students reduce stress. Some effective strategies are staying

organized, noticing deadlines, a healthy diet, and positive thinking (Stupart). Support from

friends or family can make implementing the strategy much easier. One of the most effective

stress-relieving methods is to practice simple self-care techniques. Everyone reacts to stress

differently and is affected in different ways. Utilizing a few simple techniques like positive

thinking and staying organized can significantly reduce stress. Colleges can also help students

cope with stress and anxiety by doing various things. Nicole J. LeBlanc, notes that school

administrators can help by raising awareness about stress and anxiety on campus (LeBlanc).

Administrators can assist students by providing resources for personal health. If school

administrators make mental health resources easy to access, there is a better chance that students

will reach out when they need help.

Time management is another important strategy that will minimize stress. It is common

for students who have to deal with family trouble, illness, financial problems, social activities,

extracurriculars, etc., to have trouble managing their time. Balancing various activities and

situations while maintaining a college workload will prove to be a difficult task that needs

constant adjustments.

There are many misconceptions about stress. One of the most common misconceptions is

that all stress is bad. Even though stress is frequently addressed negatively, there are some cases

when stress can be beneficial. Students' challenges are indications of pressures that must be

appropriately addressed and handled. How a person reacts to stress is determined by whether an

incident is viewed as a challenge or a threat. There is an excellent opportunity for growth and

self-discovery in stressful and other challenging situations if resources and strategies to manage
 Terry 8

stress are used correctly (Sukup and Clayton). If all students react to stress correctly, it is

possible for stress to help advance their academic performance.

Although stress can be harmful to one's mental, physical, and social health and negatively

affect academic performance, some believe that stress is good. Students may benefit from being

under some stress to stay motivated. If stressful situations are viewed as a competition, it may

motivate students to work harder and perform better. Some stress could help some students, but a

lot of stress at the same time is not beneficial for anyone.

Many students are affected by stress during the school year, and many of them struggle to

manage their stress and find strategies to reduce it. Excessive stress can harm one's emotional,

physical, and social well-being. Stress can cause physical and mental symptoms. Understanding

how stress affects people and how to deal with difficult situations is critical. If stress is managed

ineffectively, there can be adverse effects on mental, physical, social health, and academic

performance. It is important to be aware of the dangers of excessive stress and how to deal with

stressful situations.
 Terry 9

Works Cited

Bhujade, Vijay Mahadeorao. “Depression, Anxiety and Academic Stress among College

Students: A Brief Review.” Indian Journal of Health & Wellbeing, vol. 8, no. 7, July

2017, pp. 748–51. EBSCOhost,

https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=125123631&site=eho

st-live.

Hudd, Suzanne S., et al. “Stress at College: Effects on Health Habits, Health Status and

Self-Esteem.” College Student Journal, vol. 34, no. 2, June 2000, p. 217. EBSCOhost,

https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=3452554&site=ehost-li

ve

Okano, K., Kaczmarzyk, J.R., Dave, N. et al. Sleep quality, duration, and consistency are

associated with better academic performance in college students. npj Sci. Learn. 4, 16

(2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-019-0055-z

Son, Changwon et al. “Effects of COVID-19 on College Students' Mental Health in the United

States: Interview Survey Study.” Journal of medical Internet research vol. 22,9 e21279. 3

Sep. 2020, doi:10.2196/21279

Stupart, Yvette. “How Stress Affects College Students' Academic Performance.” Owlcation, The

Arena Media Brands, 21 Aug. 2015,

https://owlcation.com/academia/College-Life-The-Effects-of-Stress-on-Academic-Perform

ance.
 Terry 10

Sukup, Leslie, Russell, Clayton. “Examining the Effects of Resilience on Stress and Academic

Performance in Business Undergraduate College Students.” College Student Journal, vol.

55, no. 3, Fall 2021, pp. 293–304. Academic Search Complete,

https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=152645030&site=eho

st-live.