Topic

The factors and effects of stress among university students during Covid-19 pandemic.

CHAPTER 1

1.0 Introduction

Stress is one of the popular and most famous quandaries after taxes and death. It is a must for
every person in this world to have stress no matter what their status. Stress is one of the
common mental issues that always attack people, especially to the undergraduate students. It is
because the universities themselves expect the students to be mature enough that they are able
to become future workers with critical thinking skills that can meet the expectations of their
employers. Studying in the universities appears to be one of the most stressful moments of life
that would change the student life (Muhammad et al ., 2019). It is because it needs the student
itself to be prepared in order to ensure that their academic performance is in a good state for a
future profession. Besides, other events such as staying away from home and family to further
their studies also can lead the students to become stressed. Furthermore, the undergraduate
students nowadays also face a great deal of stress due to the sudden change in the learning
systems on the 2020 Malaysia Movement Control Order (MCO) because of the Covid-19
outbreak throughout the world. (Abd Fatah & Vasudevan 2020) Because of the MCO it gives a
lot of impact to the schools, colleges, and universities which limits the movement of the students
and make them unable to attend the class physically and leads to an online learning as an
alternative which gives a great deal of stress to the student especially the student in the rural
area that does not have a strong internet connection to attend the classes.

1.1 Background of the Study

An optimum level of stress can boost the students ability but an excessive amount of stress can
cause physical and mental health problems, decline confidence, and tend to influence academic
accomplishments of the students (Aafreen et al ., 2018). It can reduce the effectiveness of their
study which leads to bad habits and results in negative long-term outcomes, including poor
academic performance, school dropout, loss of memory, poor relationship with peers and
relatives, and a large disappointment with their own life (Hakami,2018; Aafreen et al.,2018;
Abebe et al.,2018). It is stated that the stress was high among the science, medicine, and
pharmacy students then followed by students of Business Administration, Computer Sciences,
Pharmacy and Applied Medical Science concerning their college types. Besides, most of the
nursing students in Malaysia have a moderate level of stress. Furthermore, science stream
students face stress and pressure mainly due to a greater class workload and examinations
which eventually would cause them to have less time to study and put sufficient effort into
studies and leads them to get bored quickly and lose enthusiasm in studies in the long run, this
circumstance stresses them up making them lose focus on academic work. This study aimed to
determine and to compare the stress level among the health sciences and non-health sciences
students during the Movement Control Order (MCO). This research provides preliminary insight
into the stress level among students and the needs for further actions.

1.2 Problem Statement

During the situation of the pandemic covid-19, it is shown that some of the students were
stressing out there due to the fact that they need to adapt with a new condition which is study in
online class. The stress might be affected by a few factors that are related with the environment
and management during the study. It is believed that it may lead them to be involved with stress
which will disturb their mental health and academic performance. It is because people respond
to stress in a different way. Stress may be caused by a failure in academic, financial problems,
family problems or time management. The study will be conducted to determine the most factors
that contribute to stress and how their reaction toward stress.

1.3 Research Objectives

● To determine the factors contributing to stress among students during Covid-19
pandemic.
● To identify the effect of stress on student daily activities during Covid-19 pandemic
● To investigate student reactions toward stressors.

1.4 Research Questions

What are the factors that contribute to stress among students during Covid-19
pandemic?
What are the impacts of stress in a student's life?
How does the student handle the pressure?
1.5 Significance of the study

This study investigates the influence of the crisis on the stress levels of university students
during the peak of the crisis, as well as the relevant variables influencing their stress. Financial
restrictions, remote online education, and uncertainty about the future of academics and career
are the key pressures. Many universities throughout the world have turned to emergency
remote teaching (ERT) using online platforms, which has increased student concern. This
study's findings are expected to help Malaysian colleges and universities build a theoretical
foundation for measuring psychological well-being and identifying evidence-based psychological
intervention strategies to help students in future pandemics. It should also offer policymakers
with advice on appropriate strategies to reduce the consequences of worry on pupils during
such crisis situations.This will benefit educators and students by making them more adaptive in
the face of new challenges and opportunities.Through the utilization of various technologies, the
internet has revolutionized the way they communicate with one another. Because it has been a
major influence in the evolution of communication educators and students can adapt to this
change where the internet has made it possible for them to communicate with one another
without requiring to go to a place to gather for a class or study session. The internet has also
made it easier for instructors and students to collaborate and share knowledge in the classroom.

1.6 Previous Study

Article 1 by : Sundarasen, S et al.
Although universities quickly implemented remote online classes, many instructors fail to
recognise that students are dealing with complicated emotions as a result of COVID-19 and
lockdowns, and the fact that they must adjust to remote learning while being isolated from their
friends creates unnecessary frustration, anger, resentment, and, ultimately, anxiety. The
COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown have overtaken the whole world. This study investigates the
influence of the crisis on the anxiety levels of university students in Malaysia during the height of
the crisis, as well as the relevant factors influencing their stress.An experimental research
employing a cross-sectional online survey was done in Malaysia to assess the degree of anxiety
among university students during the peak of COVID-19 and the MCO period. The anxiety level
was examined in this survey utilizing Zung's self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) self-rating anxiety
questionnaire. A total of 1054 responses were obtained for this investigation. Female students
were more likely to experience anxiousness than male pupils. In this study, younger students,
notably those between the ages of 17 and 18, were more worried than older students. Students
pursuing management-related degrees appeared to be more anxious than healthcare and
medical students. Students who stayed alone had higher levels of anxiousness than those who
stayed with relatives or friends.Finally, higher education institutions may play a critical role in
supporting students in dealing with such worries. New counseling guidelines are now required.
The presence of such initiatives should be stated explicitly to the student population.
Universities should also provide psychological assistance, either in person or remotely, to help
students deal with the emotional and mental effects of their studies. Universities should
implement systematic anxiety-reduction programmes, such as life skills training and mindfulness
treatment, which have been shown to lower anxiety levels.

Article 2 by: Wathelet, M et al.

Concerns have been expressed about the psychological consequences of the coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and quarantine measures on people. University students
tend to be more vulnerable to mental health problems than the overall population. The goal of
this study is to determine the incidence of self-reported mental health problems, identify related
variables, and assess care seeking among university students who were quarantined for
COVID-19 in France.This survey research gathered information from 69,054 students who were
staying in France during the COVID-19 quarantine. All French institutions were requested to
send an email to their students inviting them to participate in an online survey. The survey was
completed by 69,054 pupils. There were 7891 pupils who had suicide thoughts, severe distress,
a high degree of perceived stress, severe depression, and a high level of anxiety. A total of 3675
pupils stated that they had seen a health professional. Among the risk variables identified,
female gender was linked with reporting at least one mental health result.The findings of this
survey study indicate a significant frequency of mental health disorders among students who
were quarantined, emphasizing the importance of strengthening prevention, monitoring, and
access to care.
 CHAPTER 2
2.0 Introduction

This chapter will go through a research design that uses population and sample
methodologies, as well as the instrumentation used and the process of data collecting and
analysis.

2.1 Research methodology

This research will utilize a quantitative approach and the research design used is
descriptive research because it seeks to represent the current state of a variable that needs to
be recognized. These studies are intended to give systematic data regarding a situation. To
conduct this research, simple random sampling will be used. It will take a tiny, random sample of
the population to represent the complete data set, with each member having an equal chance of
being chosen. The population of university students is used in this study, and the sample is
picked at random because everyone of them has an equal chance of being chosen. Besides, to
collect the data, a questionnaire will be used. This questionnaire is used to assess stress
among part 4 UiTM students during the Covid-19 pandemic.The questionnaire consists of ten
questions that generate information such as how they perceived their academic studying
experience during the Covid-19 outbreak. Through the questionnaire we can see the response
which may show their condition of studying during Covid-19 pandemic. Last but not least,
questionnaires and surveys will be used as data collection methods to collect qualitative data.
This method tries to analyze aspects such as study participants' thoughts and feelings rather
than counting responses or collecting numerical data.The question will be prepared based on
the target respondent. Through those questions we can get the feedback from the respondent
and make the conclusion on their condition. The questionnaire is divided into two sections,
which firstly, requires the participant to fill out their personal information, and second which
requires the participant to mark their stress level on a scale specific to themselves.