Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents the relevant literature and studies that the researchers considered in

strengthening the claim and importance of the present study.

Related Literature

Foreign

Stress is the natural response the human body gives to challenges. Students are exposed

to stress by various factors. When a student undergoes chronic stress or high stress levels, their

ability to learn, memorize, and post good academic performances can be interfered with

regardless of their age or grade. Stress can also make a student experience poor mental,

emotional, and physical health. Teachers and parents may help students avoid chronic stress in

their lives if they learn about and develop a good understanding of common stressors. Stress in

students may have serious harmful effects and thus needs to be addressed.

According to Hales and Hales, 1 it is recommended by the National Sleep Foundation that

young people, especially students, should maintain a regular sleep schedule and that they should

sleep for between 8.5 and 9.25 hours per night.

Another major cause of student stress is academic pressure. As teachers prepare students

for standardized tests, they give them homework even if the students are as young as six only. In

addition to these homework assignments, there are classroom assignments and term papers that

are supposed to be completed and submitted in strict deadlines. The pressure that comes from

these assignments coupled with the desire by students to succeed academically culminates into

1
Hales, D., & Hales, J. Personal stress management: surviving to thriving. Boston, MA: Cengage
Learning. . (2016).
stress. Students also experience pressure to do well in their academic work from those close to

them such as family, friends, and even teachers.2

A student’s stress levels can also increase due to poor nutrition and unhealthy eating

habits. Foods that are associated with high stress levels in students include those that have high

refined carbohydrates, sugar, caffeine, and fat. This is the case with many types of fast,

processed, and convenience foods. Examples of foods that induce stress include French fries,

white bread, processed snack foods, candy bars, donuts, energy drinks, and sodas.3

A healthy stress-reducing diet is made up of foods that are high in complex carbohydrates

and fiber and low in fat content. Examples of such foods include lean proteins, nuts, whole

grains, vegetables, and fruits. It is noteworthy that high stress levels can make students develop

physical symptoms that could negatively affect their academic performance. These signs and

symptoms include chest pain, elevated blood pressure, stomach upset, mumbled or rapid speech,

nervous habits such as fidgeting, back and neck pains, tremors and trembling of lips, and

frequent headaches. When a student experiences these symptoms, they might not feel the

motivation they once felt about doing their best in such academic tasks as completing

assignments or preparing for tests. Moreover, the symptoms are detrimental to the health of

students, a factor which may father make their academic fortunes to dwindle.

There are various stress management strategies students may take to reduce stress. One of

these is to get regular physical activity and practice such relaxation techniques as massage, tai

chi, yoga, meditation, and deep breathing. Students may also keep stress away by spending

quality time with friends and family, and keeping a sense of humor. Another strategy may be to

find time for such hobbies as listening to music, playing football, and reading a book. It is also

2
Raju, M. V. Health psychology and counselling. Delhi, India: Discovery Publishing House. (2009).
3
Kumar, N. Psychological stress among science students. New York, NY: Springer. (2015)
important that one gets enough sleep and consumes balanced diet (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2019). 4

These strategies may both alleviate and prevent stress among students.

Students in secondary and tertiary education settings face a wide range of ongoing

normative stressors, which can be defined as normal day to day hassles such as ongoing

academic demands. Accordingly, secondary/high school (defined here as junior/lower secondary

education and senior/upper secondary education)] and tertiary (defined here as post-secondary

education) students commonly self-report experiencing ongoing stress relating to their education,

which we refer to as academic-related stress, such as pressure to achieve high marks and

concerns about receiving poor grades.5

6
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recently

conducted a survey involving 72 countries and consisting of 540,000 student respondents aged

15–16 years. On average across OECD countries, 66% of students reported feeling stressed

about poor grades and 59% reported that they often worry that taking a test will be difficult. The

OECD further found that 55% of students feel very anxious about school testing, even when they

are well prepared. As many 37% of students reported feeling very tense when studying, with

girls consistently reporting greater anxiety relating to schoolwork compared to boys. The data

demonstrates that education and academic performance are a significant source of stress to

students. The impact of this ongoing academic-related stress to student outcomes and well-being

has not been comprehensibly explored. Therefore, the current narrative review explores the

impact of academic-related stress on students’ academic performance, mental health and well-

being.

4
Mayo Clinic Staff. “Stress symptoms: effects on your body and behavior”. Mayo Clinic. (2019).
5
UNESCO. (2012)International standard classification of education (ISCED) 2011. Montreal,
Quebec: Author.
6
OECD. PISA 2015 Results (Volume III). Paris, France. (2017).
 Okoro7 categorized stressors into two broad categories, namely, academic and non-

academic stressors. Consequently, the under listed have been distinguished to be related to

scholarly stress grounded on previous research: scholastic workload, lecture attendance,

assessments, school curriculum and insufficient learning materials, subject-related projects and

unfriendly scholarly environmental factors, for instance, poor illumination, outrageous

temperature, and uncomfortable sound might increase the threat of harm and resultant increase of

musculature and skeleton syndromes. Bodily stress forced on the physique comprises improper

sitting arrangement and inappropriate posture on chairs in congested classrooms, which could

cause great damage to muscles and joints. This might be a usual phenomenon, prompting

increasingly incessant, recurrent discomfort and incidents of pain.

Coping is perceived as an important variable during the time spent in limiting, decreasing

or enduring stress.8 Coping alludes to the opinions and actions individuals utilise to deal with the

interior and exterior requests of traumatic occasions.9

Local

Causes of stress are called stressors. It is an agent or condition capable of producing

stress or something that initiates a stress response; it can be people, objects, places or events.

These are outside forces that place unusual demands on a person’s body or mind. Modern life

exposes people to many stressors. Some physical stressors remain, including natural disasters,

illness, and noise. Certain life experiences, such as the death of a loved one, are major stressors.

7
Okoro, E. Assessment of stress related issues & coping mechanisms among college
students (Unpublished Maters Thesis) (2018). Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota.
8
Gustems–Carnicer, J., & Calderón, C. Coping strategies and psychological wellbeing among teacher
education students. European Journal of Psychology of Education, (2013). 28(4), 1127–1140.
9
Folkman, S. Stress, coping, and hope. Psycho-Oncology, (2010). 19(9), 901–908.
Day-to-day problems, such as burning toast, taking rest, or feeling rushed, may also be stressful

according to Mazo.10

People need not experience events directly to feel stress. Television, newspapers, and

other means of mass communication flood people with information about upsetting occurrences

throughout the world. People can also imagine future misfortunes and regret past failures.

Experts consider modern life particularly stressful for children and families. Not all stressors

affect everyone in the same manner. In a particular situation, one person may remain quite calm

while another person displays many signs of stress. The difference between the two people may

be that the first person feels in control of the situation and vi ews it as a challenge and is

committed to overcome it. The second person does not feel in control of the situation, is

threatened by it, and only wants to avoid coping with it. The immediate effects of stress include

an increase in heart rate blood pressure, dilation of the pupils, and an increase flow of blood to

the muscles. Long term effects can be heart diseases, depressions, and migraine headache.

People who are aggressive and who easily get angry are most likely to develop these problems.

Duque11 cited common effects of stress. These are insomnia, headaches, backaches,

constipation, diarrhea, high blood pressure, heart disease, depression and alcohol, tobacco or

drug use. He suggested doing the following: 1) After seeing the doctor, share your treatment

plan with people close to you. Talk with friends and relatives and explain what you are going

through; 2) If your doctor prescribed medication take it exactly the way it is prescribed. Do not

stop taking your medication until you doctor tells you to stop doing so; 3) Keep all follow-up

appointments with your doctor; 4) Remember that it may take some time to start feeling better; 5)

If you experience side effects from any medication, tell your doctor; and 6) Seek professional

10
Mazo, G. Causes, Effects of Stress, and the Coping Mechanism of the Bachelor of Science in Information
Technology Students in A Philippine University. Journal of Education and Learning. Vol. 9(1) (2015). pp. 71-78.
11
Duque, F.T. Health Guide 13th Edition, 2007-2008. Philippines: Medi Marketing, Inc. (2007).
counseling. If your methods of coping stress are not contributing to your greater emotional and

physical health, it is time to find healthier ones. There are many healthy ways to manage and cope

with stress, but they all require change. You can either change the situation or change your

reaction. When deciding which option to choose, it is helpful to think of the four A’s: avoid, alter,

adapt, or accept. Since everyone has unique response to stress, there is no “one size fits all”

solution to managing it. No single method works for everyone or in every situation, so experiment

with different techniques and strategies. Focus on what makes you feel calm and in control. 12

Stress affecting students academically leads them to have bad performance in school

work. Students experience a lack of concentration. Stress in college students can affect the ability

to concentrate, and there have been studies conducted that prove that stress interferes with a

student's ability to concentrate, Stress in students is not something we can take likely. Ironically

stress Improves concentration for a short term because when students are little stressed up they

then to focus to try to get the issue in question which stresses them away but these concentrations

doesn't last for long since they will have more school work or others assignments to do which

demand long-term concentrations rather than the short term.

There are both positive and negative impacts due to stress depending on the situation that

the students are facing. A positive impact happens if a person manages a situation well and there

will be a negative impact if the person is unable to control these situations. Students make stress

as an excuse to engage in drinking alcohol, smoking, use of illegal drug along with clubbing. As

a result car or vehicle accidents occur. They get involved in sexual activities that could cause

unexpected pregnancy, abuse, trauma and transmission of HIV. This can trigger a person to

engage in suicidal tendencies and they are inclined to perform crimes.13

12
Duque, F.T. Health Guide 13th Edition, 2007-2008. Philippines: Medi Marketing, Inc. (2007).
 They may find this situation negative thus making the student frustrated, depressed and

they are unable to cope-up with the present situation. As result the problem remain unresolved.

Others may take this situation positively by taking it as a challenge and working harder. A

person can be stressed in different ways depending on the reaction of the body in adapting the

new condition. It is on how a person deals with problems which will determine if the individual

feels stressed or not. There are positive and negative consequences when a student feels stress

during their academic life. Learning will be suppressed or inhibited when a person feels stressed,

and this is called the unfavorable stress which is associated to the student’s performance in

his/her academics.14

According to Cebu Normal University, most students were undergoing adjustments in

recent events. Some were dealing with stress and anxiety over the uncertainty of things. Some

have families heavily impacted by the COVID outbreak where their livelihood and day-

to-day subsistence were a problem.15

Stress is an adverse reaction that individuals manifest when they encounter excessive

pressure or other types of demands placed on them. Stress especially arises when individuals are

under overwhelming situation and believe that they are incompetent to handle. The definitions

reflect that stress is psychophysical phenomena which come into existence as a result of a

continuous interaction between the individual and the environment. Said it differently, when

college students, for instance, often deal with pressures associated with finding a job or a

13
Paler, E., Poblete, M., Mamauag, M., Alarde, G., & Claret, M. College Students’ Stressors and Coping
Techniques: A Precursor to Good Mental Health. (2019).College of Nursing, Mindanao State University – Iligan
Institute of Technology, Philippines.
14
Paler, E., Poblete, M., Mamauag, M., Alarde, G., & Claret, M. College Students’ Stressors and Coping
Techniques: A Precursor to Good Mental Health. (2019). College of Nursing, Mindanao State University – Iligan
Institute of Technology, Philippines
15
Cebu Normal University. (2020). https://cnu.edu.ph/category/college-of-nursing/page/4/
potential life partner, such stressors do not cause anxiety or tension by themselves. Instead, the

feeling of stress results from the interaction between stressors and the students’ perception and

reaction to those stressors (Romano, 1992)16

Related Studies

Foreign

Reddy et al. 17 in their study concludes that stream wise difference in stress does exist in

students. It is important to deal with stress at personal, social and institutional level. Remedies

such as feedback, yoga, life skills training, mindfulness, meditation and psychotherapy have been

found useful to deal with stress. To identify the main reason of stress is the key to deal with it.

Professionals can develop tailor made strategies to deal with stress. The integrated well-being of

the students is important not only for the individual but for the institute as well. Dimitrov,18 in his

study, claimed that stress can be addressed by ensuring that the students give utmost importance

to their welfare. Food, exercise, work, recreation are some of the areas to focus on. He also

concluded that the education system is more to do with the academic qualifications and does not

contribute enough to the holistic development of students. Students are usually conditioned in a

way that makes them fearful to take up upcoming challenges as the focus is only the academics

and not the development of a go getter mentally. There are not many choices for the medium of

education. English being the only option available can pose as a hindrance for the students from

rural background. There are not many courses available that are employment centric. Fresh

graduates need more communication skills development for better placements Subramani and
16
Romano, L. J. Psychoeducational Interventions for Stress Management and Well‐Being. Journal of
Counseling and Development, (1992). 71(2), 199-202. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1992.tb02200.x
17
Reddy,K.J., Menon. K., Anjanathattil. Academic Stress and its Sources among University Students,
Biomed Pharmacol Journal, (2018) 11(1), 531-537
18
Dimitrov.G .A study on the impact of Academic Stress among college students in India, Ideal Research.
(2017). 2(4)
Kadhiravan19 revealed the link between academic stress and mental health among students. He

endorsed that academic stress and mental health are correlated and that students are cramped

with the academic structure. Parents and schools pressurize the students way too much for the

higher grades that disheartens the students, further to add on there is not enough support from the

parents and school in terms of guidance. The students are mentally healthy when they perform

constructively in the academic forums. They also propounded that students from private schools

are more pressurized as compared to students from government schools due to the excess of

homework and other academic related assignments. Significant difference in mental health of

students from private and government schools was found. He asserted that students from private

schools have a different nurturing and vast exposure as compared to government school students

who belong to poor socio-economic background and lack of exposure. This is one of the reasons

for the escalation of stress Sharma et al.20 in their study stated the use of various methods to

curb stress. Doing one physical exercise on daily basis can address the concern of stress. One can

also adopt to various time management tools and get involved with leisure activities which can

benefit students. Also, it was suggested that colleges should have a conducive ambience to

curtail the stress. Change in the style of delivery from teachers end and providing mentors can

bring fresh air to the teaching style. Prabu 21 researched on the higher secondary students and

implied that male students are more stressed than the female students. Urban student’s academic

stress is greater than the rural students. Government school student’s stress is lower than the

private school student’s stress. Students from Science stream are more stressed than the students

19
Subramani, C. and Kadhiravan, S. Academic Stress and Mental Health among High School Students,
(2017). Indian Journal of Applied Research, 7(5)
20
Sharma,B. Kumar,A. and Sarin,J. Academic Stress, Anxiety, Remedial Measures Adopted and Its
Satisfaction among Medical Student, A Systematic Review, International Journal of Health Sciences and Research,
(2016). 6(7), 368-376
21
Prabu Suresh P A study on academic stress among higher secondary stress, International Journal of
Humanities and Social Science Invention, (2015). 4(10), 63-68
 22
from Arts. Deb et al. studied on 400 male students from five private secondary schools in

Kolkata who were studying in grades 10 and 12. 35 percent students were found to have high

academic stress and 37 percent were found to have high anxiety levels. Students with marginal

grades were said to have higher level of stress as compared to students with better grades. Also,

students involved with extra-curricular activities were noted to be more stressed as related to

those students who were not involved with it.

Kaur23 acknowledged that mental health of teenagers get affected due to the academic

stress. Girls with academic stress were found to have poor mental health as compared to the

boys. This was accounted on the study that parents at times put pressure and strain on students

that leads to deteriorated mental health.

Bataineh24, in his study measured the academic stressors experienced by students at

university. The result of the analyses showed that there is an unreasonable academic overload,

not enough time to study due to the vast course content being covered, high family expectations

and low motivation levels are some of the reasons for the stress. Fear of failure is also the prime

reason for stress. There was no significant difference found amongst the students from different

of specializations.

Khan and Kausar 25 concluded that stress definitely impacts the academic performance in

a negative way though no significant difference was found as per the gender. The difference was

evident between junior and senior students. Stress, for sure, affects the ability to study efficiently

and managing the time. Studying regularly is important, this helps reduce the academic pressure
22
Deb, Sibnath, Esben,S., and Jiandong,S. Academic-related stress among private secondary school
students in India, Asian Education and Development Studies, (2014). 3(2), 118- 134.
23
Kaur,S. Impact of Academic Stress on Mental Health: A Study of School going Adolescents, Global
Journal for Research Analysis, (2014). 3(4)
24
Bataineh.M.Z Academic stress among undergraduate students: the case of education faculty at King
Saud University, International Interdisciplinary Journal of Education, (2013). 2(1), 82-88.
25
Khan,M.J. and Altaf, S. Kausar,H. Effect of Perceived Academic Stress on Students’ Performance, FWU
Journal of Social Sciences, .(2013). 7(2), 146-151
and helps them fulfill their goals. According to Bello and Gumarao 26, when students experience

too much academic pressure beyond their capability, the struggle towards success academically

will become challenging, resulting in anxiety and depression and may lead to poor academic

performance.

In the study of Kumari and Jain.27, it was found that there was a correlation between
28
examination stress and anxiety of college students. Waghachavare et al. revealed that there

was a significant relationship between stress and the field of education. They concluded that

students from all the fields were exposed to stress, wherein the educational factors were one of

the significant stressors.

According to the study of Nayereh29 these stressors were associated with their

performance triggering moderate to high stress in school. Moreover, students maturely faced

these situations even though they were more likely to withdraw when facing these problems.

The study of Zia-ur-Rehman and Sharif30 found that stress affected the students'

academic performance and further identified that course load and social support were the two

main stressors. Similarly, in the study of Saqib and Rehman 31, which investigated the type of

stress that the students experience and evaluate the effects of stress on students' performance,

they found that stress has a significant impact on students' performance wherein the teachers and

parents are the critical factors of stress.

26
Bello, D. L., & Gumarao, M. Stress, coping strategies, and academic performance of dentistry students.
AUP Research Journal, (2016). 19, 37-41
27
Kumari, A. & Jain, J. Examination stress and anxiety: A study of college students. Global Journal of
Multidisciplinary Studies, (2014). 4(1), 31 – 40.
28
Waghachavare, V. B., Dhumale, G. B., Kadam, Y. R. & Gore, A. D. A Study of Stress among Students of
Professional Colleges from an Urban area in India. Sultan Qaboos University Med J, (2013).13(3), 429-436.
29
Nayereh, S. Students’ coping with stress at high school level particularly at 11th & 12th grade. Procedia
– Social and Behavioral Sciences, 30 (2011) 395 – 40.
30
Zia-ur-Rehman, M. & Sharif, R. How perceived stress can influence academic performance: analyzing
the role of some critical stressors. Journal of Contemporary Studies, (2014). 3(1), 51 – 63.
31
Saqib, M. & Rehman, K. U.. Impact of Stress on students' academic performance at secondary school
level at District Vehari. International Journal of Learning and Development, (2018) 8(1), 84 – 93.
 According to Hirsch et al. 32, to define coping resources required to handle stressful

situations, a process called cognitive evaluation can be utilized. This process involves evaluating

the stress level that the case may provide by assessing one's perception of the situation, social

orientation, and the coping strategies available.

On the contrary, if a person uses negative coping strategies, he may not adapt and assess

the situation to modify the techniques needed to handle the situation. Consequently, withdrawal

from the condition may happen, manifested by indifference and lack of interest in participating

in academic activities. 33

Moreover, Suldo et al. 34posited that adolescents' coping behaviors to handle stress might

help explain why some adolescents effectively cope when they experience stress. However,

studies on stress and coping strategies linked to mental health outcomes found out that these

variables influence one another. For example, the perceived stress can predict depression, while

anger coping strategies utilized to handle stress can intensify it. However, adaptive coping

strategies can significantly reduce the perceived Stress says Galaif et al., 35. Besides, perceived

stress is related to harmful effects like substance abuse and psychopathology according to

Schmeelk-Cone & Zimmerman.36 Therefore, coping strategies that will increase the perceived

stress will also contribute to changes in adolescents to be experiencing mental problems. Several

studies found that social support coping strategies aided college students in improving their

32
Hirsch, C.D., Barlem, E.L.D., Almeida, L.K., Tomaschewski-Barlem, J.G., Figueira, A.B. & Lunardi,
V.L. Coping strategies of nursing students for dealing with university stress. Rev Bras Enferm. 2015;68(5):501-8.
33
Shaban, I.A., Khater, W.A. & Akhu-Zaheya, L.M. Undergraduate nursing students’ stress sources and
coping behaviours during their initial period of clinical training: a Jordanian perspective. Nurs Educ Pract. (2012).
12(4):204-9.
34
Suldo, S. M., Shaunessy, E. & Hardesty, Relationships among stress, coping, and mental health in High
achieving high school students. Psychology in the Schools, (2008). 45(4), 273 – 290.
35
Galaif, E., Sussman, S., Chou, C. P., & Wills, T. Longitudinal relations among depression, stress and
coping in high risk youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, (2003) 32, 243–258.
36
Schmeelk-Cone, K. H., & Zimmerman, M. A. A longitudinal analysis of Stress in African-American
youth: Predictors and outcomes of stress trajectories. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, (2003). 32, 419–430.
academic performance by acquiring guidance from their teachers. 37 It could also be done by
38
having someone talk to, like their peer or friends, express their emotions Nattasuda et al.,

recommend.

Academic coping strategies facilitated college students to perform academically through

educational coping strategies such as approach, avoidance, and social support sais Sullivan,. 39

Similarly, Sami et al. 40 assessed stress and coping strategies medical students. Results revealed

that 46% felt pressure, wherein worries of the future and financial difficulties were the most

common stressors. Furthermore, smoking, worries of the future, self-blame, lack of emotional

support, and lack of acceptance were significant predictors of stress. On the other hand, they

used active coping, religious coping, reframing, planning, and acceptance to cope with stress.41

Shaunessy and Suldo42 explored the stress and coping of gifted and high-achieving

students. They found that talented students and their classmates not identified as professionals

experience the same stress level and cope with positive stress reframing, time and task

management, avoiding tasks, and seeking social support. Students differ concerning anger

coping, humor, and problem-solving approaches.

37
Welsh, J. A., “Considering the Student Perspective: Factors that Undergraduates Perceive as Influential
to their Academic Performance in Science”. (2010) The University of British Columbia, Canada.
38
Nattasuda, T., Arunya, T. & Supapan, K. “Dealing with Emotional Crisis: A Phenomenological
Exploration of Thai Helpers’ Perception and Experiences”, (2013), Proceedings/The Asian Conference on
Psychology & the Behavioral Sciences, Pp. 312–318.
39
Sullivan, J. R. Preliminary psychometric data for the academic coping strategies scale. Assessment for
Effective Intervention, (2010). 35(2), 114-127.
40
Sami, A. R., Redhwan, A. A., Mustafa, A. A. and Krishna, G. R. Stress and Coping Strategies of
Students in a Medical Faculty in Malaysia. 2011. Malaysian J Med Sci. Jul-Sep 2011; 18(3): 57-64.
41
Sami, A. R., Redhwan, A. A., Mustafa, A. A. and Krishna, G. R. Stress and Coping Strategies of
Students in a Medical Faculty in Malaysia. (2011). Malaysian J Med Sci. Jul-Sep 2011; 18(3): 57-64.
42
Shaunessy, E. & Suldo, S. M. Strategies Used by Intellectually Gifted Students to Cope with Stress
During Their Participation in a High School International Baccalaureate Program. Gifted Child Quarterly,
(2010).54(2), 127 – 137.
 Hirsch et al. 43 found that escape was the most common coping strategy used by these

students, wherein the negative coping strategies were associated with their academic

dissatisfaction. Moreover, students who are satisfied academically used positive coping while

those who were not happy used negative coping strategies to focus on their emotions.

With respect to the levels of stress and stressors, previous literature has invariably

documented that college students are exposed to different kinds of stressors and stress level. For

instance, in a study conducted with the sample of 249 student participants, undergraduate

university students were found to experience higher levels of stress as a result of academic

commitments, financial pressures, and lack of time management skills. The students’ health,

emotional state, and academic performance can be devastated when they negatively interpret the

stressful context or when the stress level intensifies (Ranjita Misra & Mckean, 2000). In

agreement with this finding, Waghachavare, Dhumale, Kadam, and Gore (2013) 44 surveyed a

large sample (N = 1200) and demonstrated that college students experienced a certain level of

stress associated with healthy lifestyles and academic factors. Recently, Bhat U et al. (2018) 45

concluded that psychological stress is highly prevalent among college students especially among

engineerings and art students and those who are residing with their families.

Ross, Niebling, and Heckert (1999)46 examined interpersonal, intrapersonal, academic

and environmental sources of stress and generally found daily hassles to be more stress-inducing

factors than more than significant life events, in which intrapersonal sources of stress were the
43
Hirsch, C.D., Barlem, E.L.D., Almeida, L.K., Tomaschewski-Barlem, J.G., Figueira, A.B. & Lunardi,
V.L. Coping strategies of nursing students for dealing with university stress. (2015) Rev Bras Enferm.
2015;68(5):501-8.
44
Waghachavare, V. B., Dhumale, G. B., Kadam, Y. R., & Gore, A. D. A Study of Stress among Students of
Professional Colleges from an Urban area in India. (2013). Sultan Qaboos University medical journal, 13(3), 429-
436
45
Bhat U, S., Anekal, A., Kodancha, P., John, S., Kumar, S., Aiman, A., Cherian, A. V. Psychological
Distress among College Students of Coastal District of Karnataka: A community-based cross-sectional survey.
Asian Journal of Psychiatry. (2018). doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2018.10.006
46
Ross, S. E., Niebling, B. C., & Heckert, T. M. Sources of Stress among College Students College Student
Journal, (1999). 33(2).
leading stressors. More specifically, the study delineated that change in sleeping habits,

vacations/breaks, changes in eating habits, increased workload, and new responsibilities were the

top five sources of stress among college students.

Besides, Azila-Gbettor, Atatsi, Danku, and Soglo (2015) 47 have carried out a cross-

sectional study in 275 business students in Ghana and found that academic factors (e.g., getting

good grade, exam stress, inadequate educational materials and achieving academic goal),

intarpersonal and self-stressors (e.g., fear of failure, dealing with personal issue, and study

skills), relationship interpersonal and social stressors (e.g., academic competition, and social

support), teaching quality, relations with and support from teachers stressors (e.g., delaying in

marking and feedback, accessing learning materials, understanding the expectation of teaching

staff) and environmental, campus, administration and transition stressors (e.g., college transition

and campus adjustment) are among the commonly stress producing factors in the students.

Moreover, the study disclosed that environmental, campus, administration and transition

stressors were the most stressful category. In another study, college students’ high-stress levels

were appeared to be positively related to their negative perception of one’s self, and unhealthy

behaviors such as poor diet, lack of exercise, and inconsistent sleep patterns (Walton, 2002)48.

Another study was conducted on academic stress among college students in the faculty of

education at King Saud University. The result of the study showed that academic overloads,

course awkward, inadequate time to study, workload every semester, exams awkward, low

motivation, and high family expectations produced moderate level of stress among students. It

was also found that fear of failure was the primary source of stress among students (Bataineh,

47
Azila-Gbettor, E. M., Atatsi, E. A., Danku, L. S., & Soglo, N. Y. Stress and Academic Achievement:
Empirical Evidence of Business Students in a Ghanaian Polytechnic. International Journal of Research in Business
Studies and Management, (2015). 2(4), 78- 98.
48
Walton, L. R. A Comparison of Perceived Stress Levels and Coping Styles of Junior and Senior Students
in Nursing and Social Work Programs ( Thesis). (2002). Marshall University.
2013)49. Several previous literature seemed to have an agreement on the general prevalence of

stress among the college students, but the sources of stress and magnitude of stress among

students are not consistent across the studies. Although many studies reported high level of stress

among the students, some studies also found university students to experience a moderate level

of stress, anxiety, and depression (e.g., Bataineh, 2013; Bayram & Bilgel, 2008; Thawabieh &

Qaisy, 2012)50. We guess that such differences in the documented findings might be Open

Science Journal Research Article Open Science Journal – November 2018 4 associated with the

nature of the stressors, the individual’s cognitive appraisal, and coping resources, or

methodological issues, and sample variations.

Empirical studies on the influence of gender on stress were found to be contradictory and

mixed up (Azila-Gbettor et al., 2015) 51. For example, Sulaiman, Hassan, Sapian, and Abdullah

(2009)52 found that female students have experienced a higher level of stress compared to male

students because they tend to be extra emotional and sensitive toward what is happening in their

surroundings. Jogaratnam and Buchanan (2004)53 found the same finding that female students

reported a higher level of stress than their male counterparts concerning the time pressure

dimension of stress. More to these findings, stress and anxiety levels among female college

students were found to be elevated compared to counterparts (Bayram & Bilgel, 2008) 54. Possible
49
Bataineh, Z. M. Academic Stress Among Undergraduate Students: The Case of Education Faculty at
King Saud University. International Interdisciplinary Journal of Education, (2013). 2(1), 82-88.
50
Bayram, N., & Bilgel, N. The prevalence and socio-demographic correlations of depression, anxiety and
stress among a group of university students. Social Psychiatry, (2008).43(8), 667-672. doi: 10.1007/s00127-008-
0345-x
51
Azila-Gbettor, E. M., Atatsi, E. A., Danku, L. S., & Soglo, N. Y. Stress and Academic Achievement:
Empirical Evidence of Business Students in a Ghanaian Polytechnic. International Journal of Research in Business
Studies and Management, (2015). 2(4), 78- 98
52
Sulaiman, T., Hassan, A., Sapian, M. V., & Abdullah, S. K. The level of stress among students in urban
and rural secondary schools in Malaysia. European Journal of Social Sciences, (2009). 10(2), 179-184.
53
Jogaratnam, G., & Buchanan, P. Balancing the demands of school and work: stress and employed
hospitality students. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, (2004). 16(4), 237-245. doi:
https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110410537397
54
Bayram, N., & Bilgel, N. The prevalence and socio-demographic correlations of depression, anxiety and
stress among a group of university students. Social Psychiatry, (2008). 43(8), 667-672. doi: 10.1007/s00127-008-
elucidations for female students experiencing higher stress levels could include women taking on

the role of being the caretaker of the family while also working and being a successful student.

Females usually report a higher level of self-imposed stress and report more physiological

reactions to stressors than males while males report lower stress levels because they are taught to

be masculine and not show emotional weakness.

In another study, the association between gender and stress has also shown that women

found themselves in more stressful situations than males (Matud, 2004) 55. A factor in women

feeling more stressed is how they perceive life events and the responsibilities of taking on social

roles. Also, women tend to be more affected by the stress and energy of those around them.

Another reason women have higher stress levels is that they tend to cope more emotionally than

men while men deal with stress and frustration on a rational non-emotional level. Researchers

have suggested that emotion-focused coping is ineffective and more likely to be associated with

psychological distress than is problem-focused coping (Matud, 2004) 56. Unlike these findings,

Khan et al. (2015)57 found that school boys are more stressed than school girls. This might be due

the higher expectations and responsibilities that parents put on boys as well as the high standard

goals that boys want to attain in their plans. Likewise, in a study conducted in Ghana, male

students were found to experience a higher level of stress than female students (Azila-Gbettor et

al., 2015)58. On the other hand, other studies reported that there is no significant difference

0345-x
55
Matud, M. P. Gender differences in stress and coping styles. Personality and Individual Differences, (2004).
37(7), 1401-1415. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2004.01.010
56
Matud, M. P. Gender differences in stress and coping styles. Personality and Individual Differences, (2004). 37(7), 1401-
1415. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2004.01.010
57
Khan, Z., Lanin, A. B., & Ahmad, N. The Level of Stress in Male and Female School Students Journal of
Education and Practice, (2015).6(13), 166-168.
58
Azila-Gbettor, E. M., Atatsi, E. A., Danku, L. S., & Soglo, N. Y. Stress and Academic Achievement:
Empirical Evidence of Business Students in a Ghanaian Polytechnic. International Journal of Research in Business
Studies and Management, (2015). 2(4), 78- 98.
between male and female on academic stress (e.g., Bhosale, 2014 59; Omoniyi & Ogunsanmi,

2012)60.

Several studies have ascertained that there is an inverse relationship between students’

level of stress and their academic performance with the assumptions that higher level of stress

hampers students’ effective functioning in the field of learning (Bennett, 2003; Elias, Ping, &

Abdullah, 2011)61. In a study conducted among 656 undergraduate students in India, low

performing and high performing students were found to have significantly different scores on

different sources of stress (Veena & Shastri, 2016) 62. Similarly, Taylor and Owusu-Banahene

(2010)63 concluded that stress has a crippling effect on students’ academic performance. In

addition, components of stress such as social and financial stress were also claimed to decline

students’ academic performance (Pariat, Rynjah, & Kharjana, 2014) 64. From the reviewed

literature, it seems that many studies are in favor of the adverse effect of stress on students.

However, there some studies which challenge the inverse relationship between stress and

academic performance and advocate for the positive contribution of stress to students’ learning

outcome. For Open Science Journal Research Article Open Science Journal – November 2018 5

instance, Siraj et al. (2014)65 explored the association between stress levels and the academic

performances and demonstrated that respondents with a high and severe stress level were
59
Bhosale, U. V. A study of academic stress and gender difference. (2014).Indian Streams Research
Journal, 4(6), 1-4.
60
Omoniyi, M. B. I., & Ogunsanmi, J. O. Stress among Academic Staff in South West Nigeria. (2012). The
African Symposium, 12(1), 126-132.
61
Bennett, R. Determinants of Undergraduate Student Drop Out Rates in a University Business Studies
Department. Journal of Further and Higher Education, (2003). 27(2), 123-141. doi: 10.1080/030987703200065154
62
Veena, N., & Shastri, S. Stress and Academic Performance The International Journal of Indian
Psychology, (2016). 3(3), 71-82.
63
Taylor, M. E., & Owusu-Banahene, N. O. Stress Among Part-Time Business Students. A Study in a
Ghanaian University Camps. Ife Psychologia: An International Journal of Psychology, (2010). 18(1).
64
Pariat, L., Rynjah, A., & Kharjana, M. G. Stress Levels of College Students: Interrelationship between
Stressors and Coping Strategies. Journal of Humanities and Social Science, (2014).19(8), 40-46.
65
Siraj, H. H., A., S., Roslan, R., Hasan, N., Jin, T., & Othman, M. Stress and Its Association with the
Academic Performance of Undergraduate Fourth Year Medical Students at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. THE
INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL JOURNAL Malaysia, (2014). 13(1), 19-24
observed to have a higher cumulative grade point average. The medical students were found to

be highly capable of managing their stress well and, thus, deny the adverse effect of stress on

their academic performance. On the other hand, other studies found no statistically significant

relationship between stress and academic performance (Azila-Gbettor et al., 2015 66; Jogaratnam

& Buchanan, 2004)67.

Local

Salvacion68 studied the stress profile of students in the College of Dentistry of the

University of the Philippines, Manila. The study involved 149 dentistry student-respondents.

Academic stressors like examinations and grades, fully loaded days, difficulty in completing

clinical requirements, and fear of getting delayed topped the identified stressors. Academic

factors were stressful in the first 3 year levels. Academic stress peaked during the sophomore

year. No significant differences in rankings were observed between genders. There was

undeniable similarity in the general stress profile of the different year levels. Common methods

of coping with stress were employed by students which include crying, praying, talking,

watching movies, and listening to music. Stress makes or breaks a person. It is like a two-edged

sword which can either motivate or stimulate a student to peak.

66
Azila-Gbettor, E. M., Atatsi, E. A., Danku, L. S., & Soglo, N. Y. Stress and Academic Achievement:
Empirical Evidence of Business Students in a Ghanaian Polytechnic. International Journal of Research in Business
Studies and Management, (2015). 2(4), 78- 98.
67
Jogaratnam, G., & Buchanan, P. Balancing the demands of school and work: stress and employed
hospitality students. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, (2004). 16(4), 237-245. doi:
https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110410537397
68
Salvacion, MLD S. Stress Profile of Students of the University of the Philippines College of Dentistry.
(2004). University of the Philippines, Manila.
 Grandea,69 used a descriptive research approach in studying the stress and coping

mechanism of college freshmen of Southville International School and Colleges. It involved 201

student-respondents. The student-respondents experienced high perceived stress. The identified

main stressors were academics. The student-respondents used positive stress coping mechanism.

The perceived stress and coping mechanisms of the student-respondents were independent of

their profile.

Blona70 claims that students experience stress since some are trying to cope with the

demands of adapting to a new living environment, new peers, academic pressure, and sexual

concerns. Being in college can also put financial stress on the students and their families. These

situations can leave them with trembling hands, tense muscles, migraine, headache, and multiple

other symptoms of stress performance or reduce the student to ineffectiveness.

Based on the study of Mazo71 entitled, “Causes, Effects of Stress, and the Coping

Mechanism of the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Students in A Philippine

University” this study sought to determine the causes of stress, the effects of stress, and the stress

coping mechanisms of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology students in the Leyte

Normal University, Tacloban City. Thesis writing/research and school requirements/projects

were the most common causes of stress. Sleepless nights and irritable/moody feeling were the

common effects of stress. There was disparity on the causes and effects of stress between the

male and female respondents. The use of computer and praying to God were the common stress

coping mechanisms. There was an observed disparity between the male and female responses.

69
Salvacion, MLD S. Stress Profile of Students of the University of the Philippines College of Dentistry.
(2004). University of the Philippines, Manila.
70
Blona, R. Coping with Stress in a Changing World. (2005). The McGraw Hills Companies. Inc.
71
Mazo, G. Causes, Effects of Stress, and the Coping Mechanism of the Bachelor of Science in Information
Technology Students in A Philippine University. Journal of Education and Learning. Vol. 9(1) (2015). pp. 71-78.
 72
Duque cited common effects of stress. These are insomnia, headaches, backaches,

constipation, diarrhea, high blood pressure, heart disease, depression and alcohol, tobacco or

drug use. He suggested doing the following: 1) After seeing the doctor, share your treatment plan

with people close to you. Talk with friends and relatives and explain what you are going through;

2) If your doctor prescribed medication take it exactly the way it is prescribed. Do not stop

taking your medication until you doctor tells you to stop doing so; 3) Keep all follow-up

appointments with your doctor; 4) Remember that it may take some time to start feeling better;

5) If you experience side effects from any medication, tell your doctor; and 6) Seek professional

counseling. If your methods of coping stress are not contributing to your greater emotional and

physical health, it is time to find healthier ones. There are many healthy ways to manage and

cope with stress, but they all require change. You can either change the situation or change your

reaction. When deciding which option to choose, it is helpful to think of the four A’s: avoid,

alter, adapt, or accept. Since everyone has unique response to stress, there is no “one size fits all”

solution to managing it. No single method works for everyone or in every situation, so

experiment with different techniques and strategies. Focus on what makes you feel calm and in

control.

Based on the study entitled “Stressors and Stress Responses of Filipino College students”

Dy, M. 73 , the study determined the stressors and stress responses of Filipino college students in

relation to sex, course and academic classification. There were 258 respondents for the study. Of

the respondents, 68% were females and 32% were males. According to their degree, 42%

belonged to the soft sciences and 58% to the hard sciences. In terms of academic classification,

10% were freshmen, 36% sophomores, 33% juniors and 21% seniors. The top five overall

72
Duque, F.T. Health Guide 13th Edition, 2007-2008. Philippines: Medi Marketing, Inc. (2007).
73
Dy M. R. Stressors and Stress Responses of Filipino College students. (2015).
stressors of the respondents were academic difficulty of subject matter, workload due to subjects,

time management because of subjects, responsibilities due to being on one's own, and time

management because of both subjects and organizations. The most frequently occurring stress

responses were affective stress responses followed by cognitive responses. For both male and

female respondents, the top stressors were academics, workload due to subjects and time

management concerns. Overall, the males reacted to stress through affective responses and

females through cognitive responses. Students enrolled in the hard and soft sciences both

considered academics, workload due to subjects and time management concerns as their top

stressors. Those in the soft sciences reacted with cognitive stress responses while those in the

hard sciences reacted with affective stress responses. Generally, all students, regardless of their

academic classification pointed out that academics, workload due to subjects, and time

management were their main stressors. They all reacted to stress with affective stress responses.

These patterns can be monitored to maintain the psychological and physical well-being of

adolescent students.

Baloran,74 Filipino students were surveyed used a combination of personal coping

strategies during this pandemic. It includes connecting with friends and family to relieve stress,

talking and motivating oneself, and diverting attention to other things at home to stay away from

the stress caused by COVID-19. Despite the negativities, students still find themselves surviving

in a remote learning set-up through coping mechanisms to manage their stress.

Cruz, M.75 explored the academic stress and coping mechanisms of three hundred eighty-

two (382) college students from public and private universities in Central Luzon, Philippines

using descriptive research design. Results showed that major contributors to the respondents'
74
Baloran, E. Knowledge, attitudes, anxiety, and coping strategies of students during COVID-19 pandemic.
Journal of Loss and Trauma, (2020). 25(8), 1-8
75
Cruz, M. Academic Stress and coping Strategies of Filipino College Students in private and public
universities in Central Luzon. (2019). International Journal of Advanced Engineering, Management and Science.
stress were from teachers, completion of requirements and peers who commit cheating. They felt

academically stressed and experience sleeping problems low self-confidence and moodiness.

Respondents coped with stress through spirituality, one of the prominent traits of Filipinos. The

study highlights the need to comply with the mental health protocol and to create avenues to

attain well-being for students with varying interests.