New Main Project File

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A STUDY OF STRESS AMONGST HIGHER SECONDARY

STUDENTS ACROSS DISCIPLINES
______________________________________________________
Project Report
In
Psychology
Submitted
To
Goa University
By
Ms. Faren Stena Fernandes
Ms. Sana Tan Jose
Mr. Christ Celini
Ms. Blessy Marline De Souza
Ms. Mercy Liza Oliveira
Ms. Simonia Fatima Coutinho
Ms. Dejah Fernandes
Ms. Rizella Cia Almeida
Third Year Bachelor of Arts
2022-2023
Under the Guidance
Of
Ms. Tanya Marchon e Mascarenhas
Third Year Bachelor of Arts
For The Academic Year
2022-2023
______________________________________________________
Rosary College of Commerce and Arts
__________________________________________________________________________
CERTIFICATE
“This is to certify that this project entitled ‘A Study of Stress Amongst Higher Secondary
Students Across Disciplines’ is a record of work done by the candidates themselves during
the period of study under my guidance and to the best of my knowledge, it has not previously
formed the basis of any award of any degree or diploma in Goa University or elsewhere.”
Date: ____________________
Place:____________________
Assoc. Prof. Mrs. Tanya Marchon e Mascarenhas

(Project Guide)
i.
DECLARATION
We declare that this report entitled ‘A Study of Stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students
Across Disciplines’ has been prepared by us to the best of our knowledge; it has not
previously formed the basis for the award of any diploma or degree by this or any other
University.
ROLL.NO NAME SIGNATURE

A205609 Mr. CHRIST CELINI
A205606 Ms. BLESSY MARLINE DE SOUZA
A205637 Ms. MERCY LIZA OLIVEIRA
A205649 Ms. SANA TAN JOSE
A205719 Ms. FAREN STENA FERNANDES
A205716 Ms. DEJAH FERNANDES
A205752 Ms. RIZELLA CIA ALMEIDA
A205757 Ms. SIMONIA COUTINHO
ii.
ACKOWLEDGEMENT
We feel obligated to state that our Research Project entitled “A Study of Stress Amongst
Higher Secondary Students Across Disciplines” has been successfully completed to be
presented before Goa University.
We would like to express our gratitude to the Principal Dr.Helic M Barretto for his
administrative support.
A special thanks to our project guide Assoc. Prof. Tanya Marchon e Mascarenhas under
whose guidance we were able to construct a concrete basis for research work and for being
frequently available to supplement us with academic inputs whenever required and ensuring
timely interventions to clear doubts to ensure smooth functioning.
We would also like to acknowledge with thanks to the librarian and the support staff
members for providing us with necessary help and make our access to books, journal articles
with an ease. A genuine thank you to all the participants for exhibiting increased interest and
engagement in answering the questionnaire.
In the conclusion we would like to thank our beloved parents and friends for being a constant
source of support and motivation throughout the completion of this research study.
iii
CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE NO
• Certificate i
• Declaration ii
• Acknowledgement iii
• Lists of tables v
• Lists of figures vi
___________________________________________________________________________
Sr. No. Chapter Title Page No.

___________________________________________________________________________
1. I Introduction 1-24
2. II Data analysis and findings 25-34
3. III Conclusion 35-37
4. References 38-44
5. Annexure-I 45-50
6. Annexure-Il 51-52
iv
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE NO. TITLE PAGE NO.
Table no. 1.1 Indicates overall mean gender

difference in Stress Amongst 26
Higher Secondary Students
Across Disciplines.
Table no. 2.1 Indicates overall significant
difference in the study of 28
Stress Amongst Higher
Secondary Students across
Disciplines.
difference in Stress Amongst 29
Higher Secondary Students in
the Arts Discipline.
in Stress Amongst Higher 31
Secondary Students in the
Commerce Discipline.
in Stress Amongst Higher 33
Science Discipline.
v
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE NO. TITLE PAGE NO.
Figure 1.1 Bar graph represents an overall

mean gender differences in 26
Secondary Students Across
Disciplines.
Secondary Students in the Arts
Discipline.
mean gender difference in 31
Science Discipline.
vi
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS STRESS?
World Health Organization (WHO) defines stress as, “the reaction people may have when
presented with demands and pressures that are not matched to their knowledge and abilities
and which challenge their ability to cope”.
Psychological stress is a well-liked term that indicates the processes which are supposed to
add to the commencement and maintainable of mental and physical circumstances.
Workplace stress is connected with poor fitness and welfare, lower efficiency and amplified
sickness lack if not managed correctly.
Even though stress is grave and lasts for a little time, it can influence our mental and physical
wellbeing (eg. nervous breakdown, depression, heart disease).
Stress often contributes to bad temper, overwork, terror and irritation. One may feel
physically fatigued, worn out and complexity to cope.
Stress is not constantly recognized, but there are ways to recognize few symbols of
experiencing too a great deal of strain.
Stress comes in evident sources but usually, petite daily stress from work, academics, family
and peers can affect the brain and body.
Stress can generate the body’s reaction to a perceived risk or danger, in other stipulations
known as fight or flight response. Definite hormones like adrenaline and cortisol are released.
This improves the hearts rate, slows digestion, increases blood flow to key muscle groups and
substitutes the autonomic nervous functions, leading the body with a greater amount of
strength and energy.
DEFINITION OF STRESS
 The World Health Organization elucidates, “Stress can be defined as any type of
change that causes physical, emotional or psychological strain”.
 In psychology, “stress is a feeling of emotional strain and pressure”.
 According to APA, “Stress is the physiological or psychological response to internal
or external stressors. Stress involves changes affecting nearly every system of the
body, influencing how people feel and behave”.
 Hans Selye in 1936, defined it as “the non-specific response of the body to any
demand for change”.
PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 52
 According to Merriam Webster, stress is a force that tends to change the shape of an
object. Or something that causes physical or emotional tension: a state of tension
resulting from a stress.
 Lazarus and Folkman (1984) proposed that “stress occurs when people perceived that
the demands from external situations were beyond their coping capacity”.
STRESS ATTRIBUTES
It is obvious that the lasting stress can harm our health. Stress can affect our lives negatively.
It can influence our welfare by giving rise to headaches, digestive problems and turmoil in
sleeping patterns. Being stressed can also cause psychological and emotional stressors,
including anxiety, uncertainty and depression.
According to American Psychological Association (APA), untreated chronic stress that lasts
over a long period of time can result in high blood pressures and a weakened immune system.
This can contribute to the development of obesity and heart disease.
A bad affiliation, a deprived work place, bad health circumstances; are the common sources
of stress. Identification of stress and anxiety maybe tricky. Learning to distinguish how an
individual reacts to stress and how much one stresses can be helpful.
CLASSIFICATION OF STRESS
There are three varieties of stress and each possessed its own symptoms, kinds, cure and
duration approaches. Varieties of stress include acute stress, episodic acute stress and chronic
stress.
 Acute Stress- Being the most frequent form of stress, it occurs from the threats and
difficulties of past and future. Acute stress is very much exhausting. Since it endures
for a shorter duration, acute stress does not get sufficient time to the long-term
damage. The most frequent symptoms include emotional misery such as rage and
irritability, anxiety and depression. The stress enhanced emotions include muscular
pain- tension, headaches, back pain, stomach involves gut and bowel problem leading
to acidity, heartburn diarrhea, increase in hypertension, palpitation, dizziness. Since
acute stress for short period of time, it shows up in anyone but is highly curable.
 Episodic Acute Stress-The signs are extended over stimulations such as constant
tension and headaches. Treatment of episodic acute stress needs intervention of an
expert. Some factors such as lifestyle and personality are given the blame of episodic
acute stress as these people see nothing wrong with their conduct of life. These people
end up holding responsible their misery and distress unto other people and external
events. Sufferers can be reluctant to change. Individuals who wish to obtain relief
from discomfort of their symptoms, may be able to keep their treatment on track
intended for recovery.
 Chronic Stress-occurs while an individual discovers no way out of a troublesome
situation and being there for a long time, it leaves person with giving up on
discovering solutions. Chronic stress occurs from early childhood experiences, ordeal,
and remains follows the person in present. It affects the way one perceive the view of
world, and creates the cause of unending stress for individual. Recovery requires
professional help for active self-examination. Individuals getting used to it is the most
terrible part of chronic stress as it becomes well-known, cold and sometimes relaxing
after being present for a prolonged time with the person. Chronic stress is damaged
through suicide, cardiac arrest, stroke and even cancer. Individuals experience lethal,
final breakdown. As their physiological and mental health is drained through long
term declining.
PERSPECTIVE OF STRESS
The notion of stress has acquired several different meanings in the psychological literary
texts, because of several stress perspectives, so stress can be termed as an external situation,
reaction or appraisal of a situation.
Stimulus or Environmental Stress Perspectives

The stimulus definition of stress focuses on external stimulus events. An external stimulus is
defined as stress if it is supposed to cause some effect or reaction on the body. In the
psychological literature, such stimuli were called stressors. There are various types of
stressors which are eminent based on their length and intensity. Chronic stressors are stimuli
or events to which the organism is continuously exposed with an unchanging bias. Although
chronic stressors are continuous in nature, they can vary in intensity from relatively high (eg,
chronic fear of unemployment) to relatively low (eg. constant arguments with co-workers)
Another group of stressors are daily annoyances. These are annoying or imitating demands or
events that occur every day while interacting with the environment. They differ from chronic
stressors in that they are low in both frequency and intensity. Although some problems rarely
occur on any given day, there are several different ones. Acute stress is the last major group
of stress. These are intense, short-term stimuli/events with a specific onset time and a low
probability of recurrence. (eg an academic exam). They can also be similar to traumatic life
events such as an environmental disaster. The Stressful Life Events Checklist is often used to
measure the number of stressors experienced by a group of people. The results of the study
by Hahn and Smith (1999) on different stressor conceptualizations indicate that people
experience events differently, and thus an event classified as a chronic stressor for one person
can be a daily nuisance for another. Thus, it highlights the importance of individualized
evaluation of events and the inadequacy of objectively labeling events as chronic daily
annoyances based on the intensity or frequency of the event without considering the
subjective view of the individual.
Stress response or biological perspective
The stress response perspective defines stress as the organism's psychological response to
specific or The two main stress systems are the SympatheticAdrenalSystem (SAM) and the
Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis. The focus on the SAM response can be traced
back to Walter Cannon's work on the "flight or fight response (1932). Activation of the SAM
responses is thought to induce stress responses that include increased secretion of the
hormone epinephrine, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, sweating, and peripheral
vasoconstriction (Cohen et al, 1997), all of which contribute to improved psychologically
mole resources (for example, a rapid supply of oxygen) to optimize the possibility of survival
of the organism in the event of an attack.
The role of the HPA axis was highlighted in Hans Selve's work on general physiological
responses to over stimulation. Thus, when the body is stressed, the anterior part of the
pituitary gland secretes Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone (ACTH), which activates the adrenal
cortex to secrete additional hormones, such as corticosteroid; one of them is cortisol, a
hormone mainly involved in regulating glucose and suppressing the immune response. The
organism either adapts to the stressor or becomes exhausted as the hormones are no longer
secreted and thus the organism fails to adapt to the stressor.
Integrative or Transactional Stress Perspectives

Integrative or Transactional Stress Perspectives emphasizes the interaction between the
individual and their environment.
The most influential model of that paradigm is the human model of Lazaras and Folk, which
proposes that three types of evaluations arise when potential stressors occur (eg.
environmental demands).
Primary appraisal depends on two preconditions: perceived characteristics of the potential
stressor (eg, intensity, duration, controllability, risk of harmful reinforcement) and
characteristics of the individual (eg, personality patters, beliefs, values).
The second appraisal assesses whether coping resources are sufficient to deal with a potential
stressor if the situation is judged to be stressful.
The third type of stress appraisal is reappraisal, which indicates to judgments that alter
previous judgments based on environmental criticism. Thus, an event initially assessed as
threatening may later be reassessed as benign, and coping strategies initially considered
insufficient may later prove to be sufficient. On the other hand, events that were initially
assessed as non-threatening may later be assessed as stressful.
This model has theoretical limitations. In particular, the transactional perspective does not
provide an adequate explanation of the specific systems or outcome factors involved in the
assessment of high stress (eg, specific psychological systems activated). Furthermore, this
perspective does not consider the relationship between these outcome factors and
environmental impacts.
MODELS OF STRESS:
1. Psychosomatic Models of Stress:
Psychosomatic strain is the form of stress, where the mind and body is boosted. In particular,
one either initiates a disease or further damages it, with their existing mental state.
For instance, take two people who are strained with the manifestation of skin disease. Since
each individual has a different awareness of this condition, the one that experiences more
stress regarding the condition tends to possess physical misery. With psychosomatic stress,
their mind influences how the body will cope with the physical sickness that they comprise
of.
2. The Diathesis Stress Model

The Diathesis-Stress model engages with the association between the possible principles of a
state and the degree of the susceptibility to react to a specific situation. This model focuses
that diverse individuals are defenceless to different degrees and this affects the probability of
initiating depression.
Diatheses comprises of biological and psychological facets. But these vulnerabilities are not
adequate to elicit diseases. Instead, one has to withstand a stressful condition to portray any
sickness.
This model portrays that if one is vulnerable to depression due to stress, then it will only take
a slight environmental stress for one to get depressed. On the other hand, if one isn’t
vulnerable, it may take a greater level of environmental stress to develop a depressed
condition.
3. Optimal Information Flow and Mood
Hamilton (1981), proposed this model. It deals with a connection between stress and
stimulation. Another feature in this model is the association between optimal information
flow and atmosphere. Positive disposition is an result of optimal information whereas
negative disposition reflect on optimal intensity and the available stimulus; negative
disposition impacts the behaviours depressingly.
Human beings are not fully dependent on environment stimulation. Attention Regulators
(ARs) monitors the susceptibility to negative loads. These ARs get activated to either
argument or it reduces the available information. The main focus is on the cognitive
mechanisms of the individual. Therefore when one gets bored, one should use their ARs to
self regulate the experiences.
For example, if a party is getting boring and you cannot leave it as the celebration is called by
your boss; then one should engage in conversation Amongst the guests who seems to be very
interesting.
Boredom occurs because of one’s frame of mind and its environmental conditions. One has to
face it or ignore it, as Boredom can lead to other extreme stressful situations. Each one has
their own optimal level.
4. Interactional Models
These models concentrate on the interaction between people and their surroundings. The
relationship is built on a cognitive foundation. In other words, one is assessing or analyzing
their interaction with the surroundings in their minds. As a result, the subjective interpretation
of an event’s attributes, rather than its objective characteristics, will determine whether or not
it is stressful. The underlying tenet of all such theories is that stress results from an imbalance
or mismatch between two factors: an individual’s resources, capabilities, and needs, and the
demands and supplies made by the environment. One becomes anxious during the interview
if they believe they lack the qualifications needed for the position. Stress can result from a
lack of physical or psychological resources just like it might from a lack of material
resources. This explains why someone who was leading a fairly quiet and comfortable life in
a small town suddenly becomes agitated and uneasy after moving to a big city. Obviously,
the latter has far Higher requirements.
5. Cognitive Stress Model

Lazarus and Folkman (1984), proposed this model. They defined stress as a particular
association between the individual and the environment that is assessed by the person as
demanding his or her resources and threaten his or her well-being’. On the basis of laboratory
and field studies, Lazarus and Folkman have evolved a model of stress incorporating three
major issues:
1. The factors that affect how an event is perceived, or the Primary Appraisal process. The
authors categorize event perception as either irrelevant or having no implications for the
person’s well-being; benign positive, if it protects the person’s welfare; and stressful,
taking into account that stress may have either positive or negative impacts. The last one
could result in harm, loss, threat, or difficulty. These conditions may be brought on by the
individual (for instance, as a result of values and commitments) or the circumstance (for
instance, as a result of ambiguity, novelty, predictability, event uncertainty, or the time of
the event relative to the individual’s life cycle). So, a stressful occurrence is more likely
to be perceived than one that has no bearing on the person’s responsibilities. Only if the
individual is equally devoted to both roles will role conflict result in role stress. Similar to
how situations that are unexpected, novel, uncertain, and occur at critical times (like a
move just before a huge exam) would be seen as more unpleasant than an event that
exhibits the contrary.
2. It relates to how an individual responds to a stimuli after it has been acknowledged as
stressful. The secondary assessment process, chooses the kind of coping to be utilized.
The choice is based on the person’s assets, including their power and health, their beliefs
about God or life in general, problem-solving capabilities and social skills. Yet, several
environmental and personal restrictions may limit the adoption of these coping
mechanisms. Environmental limitations include demands that compete for the same
resources, whereas personal restrictions can include internalized values.
3. The effects of stress are the subject of the third problem. They speak of the reactionary
pattern that characterizes the presence of stress. They could include physiologic
responses, motor manifestations, changes in adaptive functioning, and emotional
experiences. Furthermore possible is a combination of these. The particular coping
mechanism used or the character of the subsequent appraisal will determine the exact
form of the reaction.
DIMENTIONS OF STRESS:
There are four dimensions of stress and they are as follows:
1. Cognitive dimension:
It refers to stress that influences our thinking process. If an individual experience
uncontrollable amounts of stress, it may hamper his/her concentration which in turn leads to
lack of focus and may also affect our thought processes. Accumulation of stress can also
affect a person’s ability to retain information and to focus and be conscious of what others
may try to convey us. An individual’s ability to organize and allocate time may also be
impacted due to elevated stress in our cognition.
2. Affective dimension:
Affective dimension comprises of our emotions, where stress can play a major role in
creating anger, mood swings and so on that may leave a person in an extreme awful
emotional state. This may further slower down an individual’s productivity because when an
individual’s mood is affected, he/she may not be able to perform well. For instance, when a
person is sad or infuriated, he/she may not be able to focus and thus hamper his/her overall
performance.
3. Behavioural dimension:
Upraised amount of stress may lead to changes in an individual’s behaviours, where he/she
may start indulging in alcohol, smoking or drugs, which may further enhance problem in their
social life (relationships with other individuals). When a person is intoxicated he may less
likely have positive emotions and hence their interactions with others tend to be negative in
nature.
4. Physical dimension:
It refers to the physical changes that occur due to excessive stress. Physical changes may
include change in sleeping patterns, appetite, weight loss or gain and so on. It can also impact
our health where an individual may suffer from high blood pressure, heart issues and ulcers.
AFFIRMATIVE AND PESSIMISTIC EFFECTS OF STRESS: -

 Affirmative effects of Stress:
Every stress that we face in our everyday life may not be bad stress; it can also have a
positive effect in life, which is also known as Eustress.
Eustress provides a positive response. These kinds of stress leave a positive effect where it
may tend to be beneficial for our body and mind. It is the opposite of distress which leads a
negative impact and results to be long termed. On the contrary, Eustress is seemed to be
thrilling and consider them to be reasonable and at times they even feel motivated by these
sorts of stress.
Eustress may seem to resemble distress in nature because when a person is experiencing
Eustress, they may feel easily agitated or may also feel their heart palpitating. However the
major distinctiveness in distress and Eustress is that people in distress may experience
uncomfortable feelings such as feeling overwhelmed, where as in Eustress they may feel
excited. Hence Eustress turns out to be extremely advantageous for our comprehensive well-
being and may also promote optimism, which leads people to feel better about their life.
The following are the examples of Eustress:
1. Changes in life:
Eustress tends to occur in individuals who experience from major changes in their life. For
instance, swapping or starting a new job, committing to a relationship or parenting may often
seem to be stressful, but in a good way.
2. Challenges:
Smaller challenges like initiating a new workout routine or watching horror films are
examples of challenges that promote eustress.
 Pessimistic effects of stress:

Negative effects of stress also referred to as psychological Distress is termed to be an
uncomfortable feeling that an individual may experience when they are overwhelmed. It can
develop various negative outcomes such as sadness, distraction and even anxiety. It is caused
by the stresses that a person may not be able to cope with. The stressors may include the
following:
 Disturbing incidents
 Crucial life events
 Social stress such as job family or relationship stress
 Health problems
Distress can affect a body by various reasons:
 Distress along with stress hormones can amplify an individual’s heart rate and blood
pressure.
 It also causes a retro-genic reaction to an individual’s body which may cause plague
build-up in his or her arteries.
 It may also put an individual at risk of blood clots, as distress caused blood to become
thicker.
Studies also indicate that people who suffer from psychological stress are at the danger of
dying due to heart diseases or chronic illness. Distress can impact an individual in various
forms which also includes a person to feel lonely and separate themselves from others. It can
also affect an individual social life and work performances, by the individual may not be able
to focus all concentrate on their tasks, furthermore making them feel devastated. Hence it is
extremely important to provide support and care to the person suffering from distress
EFFECTS OF STRESS:
Stress can cause a lot of physical reactions. These reactions may seem like symptoms again
further be categorised into either mental or physical disorder. A healthcare expert may be
helpful in figuring out these symptoms and various other causes after a proper diagnosis.
The following includes signs of stress:
 Insomnia
 Bruxism
 Palpitations
 Digestive upset
 Fidgeting with her next line uneasiness
 Hyperventilation
 Sweaty palms
 Feeling lethargic
Cognitive signs may include:
 Worrying
 in attentiveness or preoccupation
 Lack of retention power
 Confusion or uncertainty
 Feeble minded
Emotional signs may include:
 Feeling overwhelmed
 Lack of interest
 Serious minded
 Exasperation
 Depression
Behavioural science may include:
 Reduce contact with family and friends
 Feeling of isolation
 Decreased crave for sex
 Eluding others an others avoiding you because they find you eccentric
 Failing to set aside time for relaxation along with activities like music, reading, art
etc.
Modern researchers were persistent a lot on stress and it is a cause for various sicknesses such
as respiratory depression, cardiovascular diseases, elevated blood pressure and despair. Stress
also weakens immune systems or may even increase an illness in an individual. Studies
indicate that music can help in soothing and relaxing a body and mind, thereby improving the
function of immune system which may help our health in a in the long term. Hence, it is
considered important to figure out a way to decrease stress because prolonged stress may
impact an individual’s health. Individuals are advised to include positive coping strategies for
controlling or reducing stress.
THEORIES OF STRESS
1. Environmental stress perspective: This perspective places a strong emphasis on
evaluating environmental circumstances or experiences that are objectively connected to high
levels of adaptive demand.
2. Psychological stress perspective: This perspective emphasises how individuals perceive
their capacity to meet the demands imposed on them by particular circumstances and
experiences.
3. A view of biological stress: The biological stress approach places special attention on the
activation of several psychological systems in the body that have repeatedly been proven to
be controlled by both physically and mentally taxing circumstances.
GAS HYPOTHESEIS:
The three-stage GAS hypothesis includes the physical adjustments, the body makes in
response to stress. The physician and researcher Hans Selye developed the GAS hypothesis.
He noticed a number of physiological changes in the lab rats he used in an experiment at
McGill University in Montreal after they were subjected to stressful situations.
Selye came to the conclusion that these changes were the typical reaction to stress. Selye
classified these phases as alarm, resistance, and fatigue. If you comprehend these various
reactions and how they relate to one another you might find it easier to deal with stress.
1. Alarm Reaction:
The first indication of stress in the body is known as the alarm reaction stage. The "fight-or-
flight" reaction is a physiological reply to stress that one may be known. These instinctive
responses prepare you to flee or defend yourself in a dangerous situation. When energy level
rises, an individual’s pulse rate increases. Adrenal gland expels the stress hormone cortisol,
and one experiences enhancement in adrenaline. When the fight-or-flight reflex takes place it
refers to as alarm reaction stage.
2. Stage of Resistance:
The body starts to cure itself after the preliminary shock of a traumatic episode and have a
fight-or-flight response. Heart rate and blood pressure are normalised as an outcome of lower
cortisol levels. Even when the body moves into a curative phase, it elevates alert for some
time. When a stressful scenario is resolved, your body will continue to heal itself until your
hormone levels, heart rate, and blood pressure return to normal levels.
There are some stressful situations that last for a long time. Human body ultimately alters and
learns how to deal with a higher stress intensity. If one does not deal with the stress it keeps
you on high alert. At this period, the body is undergoing changes that you are unaware of as a
means of stress management.
The stress hormone is still being produced by your body, and your blood pressure is still
raised. Though one may consider that handling stress effectively, ones physical reaction
demonstrates the opposite. The fatigued stage may arise if the resistance stage lasts longer
without breaks to offset the effects of stress. Resistance stage indicators include: irritation,
frustration, and difficulty focusing
3. Stage of Exhaustion:
Stress that is ongoing or persistent leads to this stage. Long-term stress can deplete your
body's physical, emotional, and mental capacities to the point that it is unable to battle the
stress. There's a chance you'll give up or believe there's no hope.
These are symptoms of exhaustion:
fatigue
burnout
depression
anxiety
reduced capacity for stress
Your immune system will be compromised by the physical repercussions of this stage, which
increases your risk of contracting illnesses linked to stress.
THEORIES OF STRESS:
Theories of Cognitive Costs
According to the cognitive cost idea, any stressful occurrence forces a person to use cognitive
resources to deal with the stress. Stress increases the demand for perceptual and cognitive
resources by requiring more of the person's attention, which makes them less capable of
focusing on other things. The cognitive cost hypothesis is the term that Glass & Singer (1972)
gave to this strategy. They hold that to cope with a stressful environment, a person must
broaden their cognitive resources. The individual tries to comprehend what the stressful
situation is and how detrimental it could be. All of these efforts are supported by other facets
of life, which takes away time and energy that could be used to concentrate on other
important tasks or issues, which lowers performance. With the help of cognitive costs Cohan
(1978) explains how stress affects the body. He claimed that during times of stress, an
individual's attention is overloaded because they must constantly watch out for hazardous
stimuli in their environment. Continuous monitoring causes other tasks' attentional reserves
to be depleted, attention to become more focused, and tiredness to develop. Also, it has been
discovered that those who complete a task after being exposed to a stressor like noise or air
pollution make more mistakes than those who have not.
It is the reality that unanticipated or uncontrollable situations cause more stress than ones that
can be planned for or are under our control. This result also lends support to the cognitive
costs hypothesis, as choosing coping mechanisms becomes easier when a stressor is
predictable. In a known event, the individual does not need to be always alert to potential
threats, whereas, in an unpredictable event, the individual is powerless to control the intensity
and direction of stress. Why stressful situations harm a person's mental and psychological
health is still a mystery. A prisoner of war who led the US troops during World War II,
Nardini (1952), wrote about his experience as a hostage. Very humiliating and terrible
conditions were present in the prisoner-of-war camp where he was held. The cuisine was
disgusting, and the restrooms lacked basic sanitization. There was little room for movement
Amongst the men because they were so closely clustered together. They were unable to
receive treatment if they fell ill. As bad as the physical conditions were for the captives, the
social humiliations they endured were virtually worse. They were "suddenly robbed of name,
rank, identity, justice, and any claim to be recognized as human beings," according to his
account. The norm at the time was forced labor. In addition, the guards frequently reminded
the captives of their inferiority and worthlessness. Also, they received beatings whenever it
suited them. Many of the prisoners of war who were forced to live in such horrific conditions
appeared to simply give up and pass away. Several people had severe depression and
withdrew, and the symptoms persisted even after they went back to their original households.
Theory of Arousal of Stress

According to Cohan (1978), the intensity of the effects of stress depends on physiological
arousal. It is well known that a high degree of arousal causes attention to become more
focused. When the work is straightforward, mild arousal enhances performance by focusing
attention on the needs of the task. Arousal, however, might hinder performance on difficult
tasks because crucial cues may be unnoticed. So, depending on the work's complexity, task
performance should either become better or get worse when arousal rises with stress.
It is believed that the increased arousal is unpleasant. At least in humans, a sudden arousal
rise in response is a defining trait of physiological components. The perception of this arousal
and the accompanying thoughts of danger are the subjective components of anxiety.
The early 1960s saw the publication of several new studies, the majority of which concluded
that arousal and cognitive comparisons are governed by the same principles. The
physiological indicators of arousal include skin conductivity, respiratory rate, and heart rate.
Unfortunately, none of these measurements can accurately predict arousal because they do
not link to one another very effectively. Arousal is extremely difficult to quantify because
there is no concrete test of the theory.
Some of the cognitive repercussions of stress and its aftereffects may be explained by the
arousal interpretation. The military survivors of war camps have experienced incredibly
stressful things. Victims have struggled to live normal lives. They experience what has been
called "emotional blunting," which makes them appear as though all of their more
sentimental human feelings have vanished. The arousal draws attention to the physiological
reactions to stress that may have an impact on a person's health. Why arousal inevitably
results in psychological anguish that can be connected to stress is still a mystery. The arousal
viewpoint aids in understanding the bio-psycho-social structure of stress and the illnesses that
result from it, but it is unable to comprehend the full scope of the stress experience.
Theory of Emotional Functioning

The current notion places a strong prominence on an individual's emotional reactions which
directly impact stress. Stress can result in frustration, which makes a person irritable and
annoyed. Stress regularly alters mood, which decreases interest in and performance on future
tasks. Aggression might also result from frustration. People do not provide less assistance to
others when they are agitated. Also, it has been noted that while agitated, people do not care
about engaging in appropriate social behavior (Cohen, 1980).
The explanation provided above, which is based on emotional functioning, is only applicable
to some types of stress. It is commonly known that not all stress results in a bad mood.
Performance and motivation could be affected. Fear, depression, and other emotions could
result from it. These emotional states might not necessarily have lower motivation or
performance. Conclusion: Physiological arousal is a partial explanation for the impacts of
stress that need additional development.
Theory of Helplessness and Stress

According to the theory of helplessness, stress causes feelings of helplessness. When an
environment's demand surpasses an individual's capacity, stress develops. The fact that
controllable occurrences cause less stress than uncontrollable events suggests that stress is
determined by experience or perception. In his theory of learned helplessness, Martin
Seligman (1975) provided a model of helplessness. We all can make events happen the way
we want, but we frequently fail. We set the meeting date because we want to, but we can't.
The student tries to convey his thought but gets them wrong. We all endure this kind of
experience repeatedly throughout our lives. When a person's efforts to exert control over
events consistently fail, they stop trying to influence those events and lose control of other
circumstances in which they have control. This is the essence of learned helplessness. In
other words, by repeatedly being powerless, people can come to accept their helplessness. a
1975 experiment by Hiroto and Seligman in which they divided the participants into three
initial training groups. The subjects in the first group heard a loud noise that they could
silence by pressing a button. The subjects in the second group also heard a loud noise, but
they had no control over how to silence it. The second phase of the experiment begins, giving
each group an equal amount of time between sessions. Three sets of individuals were all
exposed to loud noise that they had never heard before. This noise can be stopped by moving
a shuttle that is in front of the subjects. The results show that the first group (controllable
noise) and the third group (experiencing no noise) were able to learn how to control the noise
by moving the shuttle, however, the second group (uncontrollable noise) was unable to figure
out how to turn off the loud noise and even became numb to it. The participant who was
exposed to unmanageable noise discovered that they have no control whatsoever over loud
noise situations.
Based on Seligman’s research on learned helplessness, some conclusions have been made. In
the seventh decade of the 20th century, Hiroto and Maier. A person who has learned
helplessness develops three impairments.
Motivational lack: It initially causes the person to lack motivation. The individual who has
learned helplessness does nothing to alter the course of events and instead remains passive.
Cognitive deficit: It also leads to a cognitive deficit in the helpless individual, who is unable
to develop new reactions that would enable him to avoid unpleasant circumstances or stimuli.
Emotional disturbance: The third one is an emotional problem, wherein learned helplessness
might result in mild to severe depression anytime he is exposed to any novel or unpleasant
event.
Also, it is crucial to understand that a person's ability to feel helpless daily depends on causal
attribution (cause and effect responsibility fixing). These three attributional factors play a
significant role in causing helplessness.
Internality-Externality
Helplessness might be attributed either within or outside. (Externality – No one could address
this issue. This event was predetermined to occur. Humanity was unable to find a solution.
Internality – I had no control over this issue. I found it quite difficult to solve the issue). Out
of these two, internal attribution is more likely to result in powerlessness. Less helplessness is
felt when a job is lost because of organizational ineptitude than when it is lost because of a
lack of work, a lack of funding, or a temporary dismissal. Internal feelings of inadequacy
were caused by the person's perception of their inadequacies, which wounded them.
Stability
More helplessness will result from stable attribution or responsibility fixing than from
unstable one. More helplessness is produced when a person believes that there is no market
for their type of worker or employment than when they believe that they are unsuited for the
position.
Globality
It's also crucial to understand whether the helplessness is isolated to one area of life or
permeates every aspect of it. More than the thought that I am not fully skilled in this sector or
that I am not particularly talented in this line of work, the sensation of complete
incompetence or the statement that I am merely an incompetent person makes me feel
helpless.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Taha, A. A; AA El-shereef, E; Althobaiti, S. W. &Algethami, M. M. (2017) conducted a
study titled as the “Study of Perceived Stress Amongst Female Students, Taif University,
Saudi Arabia”. The study seeks to understand the intensity of perceived stress Amongst
female students. 530 female students participated in a cross-sectional survey. The levels of
stress were evaluated using the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10). The questionnaire
consists of open-ended questions. Results revealed that the students studying in medical
colleges, scientists and theorists made up 27.7%, 44.0% and 28.3% respectively. Female
students experience stress to a degree of about 84%. Around 75.5% of them reported that
they experienced moderate levels of stress. The standard score used to calculate stress (M =
14.2; SD = 6.2) was exceeded by the average stress score of the students, which was 19 5.5.
The mean stress score was significantly lower (18.2 5.6) for students in the theoretical
department and conspicuously higher (20.3 4.8) for medical students. Adolescents with
uneducated parents had higher stress mean scores (20.46 5.47). The most general and
frequent reasons for stress in the health field was educational pressures and environmental
and societal variables were considered to be further sources of stress amid the students.
According to the study, most students from the three disciplines of study experience
reasonable amount of stress. Still, medical students are more likely to undergo stress as
compared to the individuals of sciences and theoretical. Students found the most important
cause of their stress was associated to academic, environmental, and social situations.
Ghatol, D. S (2017) conducted a Research Study titled “ Stress Amongst Higher Secondary
School Students” In this research an attempt was made to assess the literature on academic
stress in secondary students, as well as to explain the beginning, symptoms, and coping
means of stress. According to literature review, teenager stress is caused by dysfunctional
family relationships, peer pressure, an inability to handle academics, drug use, and a lack of
competence. Teenagers are under a lot of stress because of their involvement in seeking out
immediate gratification for wants, which has a negative impact on their relationships with
friends and family. The mean academic anxiety score of students from mixed families is
marginally greater than that of students from nuclear families, but statistically, this difference
is not statistically significant. Parents can help teenagers focus their energies in productive
ways to help them overcome antisocial behaviour. When assisting others in making wise
decisions that may have an impact on their future, proper caution should be taken. College
students may benefit from a strategy that combines time management and anxiety reduction
with recreational activities. Students need proper guidance when choosing their intermediate-
level courses. In addition, the parents should respect the chill’s interests and abilities and
refrain from forcing them to choose their courses. The researcher concludes that in order for
an student to progress in the academic life and for reaching their goal a supportive
atmosphere is essential.
Salam, A; Yousuf, R; Bakar, A. M .S&Haque , M(2013). A research study titled “Stress

Amongst Medical Students in Malaysia”. This study’s purpose was to study how frequently
stress was reported by Malaysian medical students. This literature review followed a
organized, reverse approach. Electronic databases were explored for literature on stress and
other psychological factors influencing Malaysian medical students up till September 2012.
Combinations of linked phrases were engaged in searching terms. 13 studies in total were re-
evaluated, and information was occupied. The results showed that stress Amongst Malaysian
medical students was at the apex that is 56%. Year of revision, financial trouble, parenting
styles, affiliation with siblings and lecturers were the noteworthy determinants of stress.
Inspection and academic linked stressors were the most important source of stress while
religion was the mainly used coping strategy. Individuals find medical study to be quite
difficult. The methods of education unintentionally have a harmful impact on student’s
mental health. In order to help students, teachers must generate a supportive learning
environment. They also have to be more alert of their function as the best role model and
adviser for students, serving to reduce the stress that comes with studying for and taking
exams.
Abdollahi A., Talib M. A., Carlbring P., Harvey R., Yaacob S. N., Ismail Z. (2018) The
research study titled “Problem-solving skills and perceived stress” was conducted on 500
undergraduate students. This study looked at how university students perceived their
problem-solving abilities, their level of toughness, and their suicidal thoughts. The
assessment of problem-solving abilities, which includes the three elements of problem-
solving confidence, approach-avoidance style, and personal management of emotion, was
also investigated in this study as a potential mediator between toughness and suicidal
ideation. Results according to Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), suicide ideation was
more prevalent Amongst undergraduate students who had lower levels of toughness, a lack of
confidence in their ability to solve problems, difficulty controlling their emotions on the
outside, and an avoidant personality. The association between toughness and suicidal
thoughts was partially moderated by problem-solving skills evaluation, which included the
three factors of problem-solving confidence, approach-avoidance style, and personal
management of emotion. These results highlight the significance of researching the mediating
mechanisms that account for how hardiness influences suicidal thoughts.
Misra, R. & McKean (2000) conducted a study on “Academic Stress and Its Relation to
Their Anxiety, Time Management, and Leisure Satisfaction”. The analysis included 249
college pupils at a Midwestern university. The research revealed that anxiety, unsuccessful
time management and lack of enjoyable activities exclusive of academics were measured as
powerful predictors of academic stress. The study also indicated that female students handled
their time more efficiently as compared to the male students; they also seemed to experience
the greater levels of stress and anxiety. Academic stress is considered as the ultimate career
stopper. Results revealed a positive relationship amid character development and time
managing practices (r = .44, p p 2 = .241, F (3,116) = 12.383, p 2 = .241, F (3,116) = 5.412,
p> .05).
Deb, S; Esben and Sun J (2012) conducted a research titled “Academic-related Stress
Amongst Private Secondary School Students in India”. The aim of this study was to inspect
the occurrence of academic stress and exam nervousness amongst private secondary school
pupils in India. The sample size included 400 teenage students (52 percent male) from 5
private secondary schools in Kolkata between grades 10 and 12. Participants were chosen
with a multistage sampling measure and were evaluated using a specific questionnaire
designed for the study. Findings show that 35% to 37% had extreme levels of academic stress
and exam anxiety. Even though all students showed apex levels of academic stress, the
students with low grades reported greater levels of stress as compared to the ones with higher
grades. Students who took part in extracurricular activities were more expected to report
exam anxiety than those who did not.
Joshua D. O.; Solomon B. O.; Racheal A. O. (2019) conducted a study titled as

“Assessment Of Academic Stress And Coping Strategies Amongst Built Environment
Undergraduate Students in Nigerian Higher Education”. T-test results revealed that there is
no significant difference amid male and female students. The t-test results indicated that there
is no statistically major difference between the male and female students who were studied,
with the exclusion of 11 out of the 30 acknowledged coping methods.
Kayla S; Meril& Kareem, W. (n.d.) conducted a study titled “The Effect of Stress and
Sources of Support on Perceptions of Balance Amongst Public Administration Doctoral
Students” Recent research shows a concerning upward trend in graduate students’ levels of
stress, despair, and burnout Across all fields. They discovered that four types of support were
crucial in reducing students’ stress and perceptions of conflict between their academic and
extracurricular lives. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the diverse
experiences of doctorate candidates in public administration and shed light on the ways in
which various types of support might lessen stress and enhance students’ quality of life. In
the final section, suggestions were given for how doctorate programmes might promote and
offer these vital resources and start institutionalising student well-being.
Maykrantz, S. A. & Houghton, J. D. (2020) conducted a research study entitled as “Self-

Leadership and Stress Amongst College Students: Examining the Moderating Role of Coping
Skills”. Stress is still a significant health issue for college students today. This research
explores how coping techniques affect college students’ associations between stress and self-
leadership. Participants: A moderated regression model was used to gather data from 643
full-time undergraduate students enrolled in a 4-year public university in the mid-Atlantic
region in February 2017. The findings show that self-leadership techniques indeed lower
students’ stress levels, and that this association is tempered by coping mechanisms. The
study’s results showed an understanding of how pupils stress may be decreased, and they
display the value of employing self-leadership as a stress-reduction tactic for college
students.
Bataineh M. Z. (2013) conducted a research study entitled as “Academic stress Amongst

undergraduate students: the case of education faculty at King Saud University”. This study
investigated the academic problems experienced by the students at university. A total of 232
subjects took part in this research which was obtained from the education faculty at KSU.
Information was obtained through self- administered questionnaires which were distributed at
random to the students during their lecture time. The methods used to examine the collected
data were descriptive statistics, correlation, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The result
indicated that academic overburden, course discomfort, inadequate time to study, workload
every semester, exams problems, little motivation, and to many family expectations were
experiencing moderate stress amongst students. The study indicated that fear of failure is the
major contributing factor of stress amongst undergraduate students. Moreover, the study
found a positive correlation between religious sources and academic stress (r= .300*, p=.00).
Lastly, the study points that there were no noteworthy differences in academic stress amongst
students with different level of study and specifications.
Deb S; Strodl E & Sun J (2014) conducted a research study titled “Academic Stress,
Parental Pressure, Anxiety and Mental Health Amongst Indian High School Students.” This
study analyzed the academic stress and mental wellbeing of Indian high school students and
the alliance between various psycho-social factors and academic stress. The sample consisted
a total of 190 students from grades 11 and 12 from three government-aided and three private
schools in Kolkata. A specially structured questionnaire and the General Health
Questionnaire was employed for the purpose of data collection. Nearly two-thirds (63.5%) of
the students reported stress because of academic pressure although there were no significant
differences across sex, age, class, and several different personal factors. About two-thirds
(66%) of the students said that they felt pressure from their parents to improve their academic
performance. The degree of parental pressure reported, differed considerably across the
parents academic qualification, mother’s profession, amount of private tutors, and academic
performance. In particular, father’s having lower education (non-graduates) were found to be
more liable to put pressure to their children for better academic performance. About one-
thirds (32.6%) of the students were indicative of psychiatric cases and 81.6% reported
examination-related anxiety. Academic stress appeared to be significantly correlated with
parental pressure and psychiatric problems, while examination-related anxiety seemed to
correlated to psychiatric problems.
Kharjana, G.M., Pariat, L., Rynjah, A. and Joplin (2014) conducted a research study on
“Stress Levels of College Students: Interrelationship between Stressors and Coping
Strategies”. Findings in the study indicated that academic stressors originate mostly from
family and teachers’ expectations, competition with peers and excessive course work or
workload. The study reports that, family expectations (52.7%) and teacher expectations
(32.4%) contributed the most (i.e. 52.7% and 32.4% respectively) in inflicting great amount
of stress levels on the participants. Hence, this finding conclude that family and teacher
expectations are factors which were seen to be largely responsible for causing academic
stress amongst the participants.
Sharma S; Dr.Chamola B.P. & Pandey N (n.d.) conducted a research study titled as
“Comparative Study of Stress Amongst Students of different Streams Science and Arts”. This
study seeks at establishing the stress level in Indian teenagers pursuing different academic
courses, namely science and arts. The sample size included 120 individuals, who were further
divided into 60 from science stream and 60 from arts. These 60 students were then divided
into 30 males and 30 females for each discipline. The students were asked to fill a
questionnaire and sign a consent form. Next, the data collected was used to compute the t-test
using SPSS. The average score of academic stress of students in science stream was 86.9
while the students in arts stream stress score was 80.7. The data obtained from the research
imply that there is a significant distinction in the stress level of students in arts and students
in the science. Academically, students in the science discipline showed more stress than those
in the arts discipline. Students in the science stream appear to be more stressed out
academically by the “Environment” dimension whereas students from the arts stream are
more stressed by the dimension of “Interpersonal interaction”. The goal of this study is
establishing findings that would aid to manage the stress levels of the students that have been
on enhanced levels and also control it in order to amplify the competence and functioning of
the students, resulting in the development and advancement of the society.
Kranz (2008) study seeks to evaluate the stress levels experienced by students in a pharmacy
programme. Data collection was done using an individual interview that incorporated a
Demographic and stress questionnaire. The results expose that students rated stress average to
above average, with an average score of 3.8 out of 5, with regard to approaches incorporated
to manage stress (70.5%). They reported some form of dynamic approach such as exercising,
playing basketball or swimming.
Chellamuthu,S. &Venkatachalam, J. (July 2019) conducted a research study titled

“Sources of Academic Stress Amongst Higher Secondary School Students”. The aim of the
study was to find the causes of academic stress amongst 198 pupils in higher secondary
schools. The most recurrent cause of academic stress in the study sample is academic
settings. The participants’ top three causes were their own personal settings, which included
parental expectations (96%), exam anxiety (96%) and comparison to others (89.9%). Lack of
interest (6.6%) is the stressor that is most rarely reported. In contrast to female students, a
higher number of male students reported feeling stressed out by their teachers (65.9%),
lacking interest (7.3%), having too many tests (75.6%), having too little time (69.5%), and
having too much homework (53.7%). Similar results were found when comparing female
students to their male counterparts in the areas of parental expectations (98.3%), comparison
with others (93.1%), lack of sleep (45.7%), grade rivalry with other students (94.8%), and too
many topics (49.1%).
Kumari , J. Jain(2014) conducted a study titled, " Examination stress and anxiety: A Study
of college Students”. The aim of the study was to know the examinations stress experienced
by college students of Arts, Science and Commerce streams. Further comparison was done to
find out the level of stress experienced by college Students in under graduate and post
graduate programmes. The sample included 90 college Students selected from two girl’s
colleges using stratified random sampling method. A questionnaire was developed by the
researcher to measure examination anxiety and stress Amongst college Students. The result
indicated correlation between examination stress and anxiety Amongst college Students.
When compared the Students of Arts were found having highest stress and anxiety during
examination followed by commerce Students. No significant difference was found in stress
and anxiety levels of undergraduate and postgraduate Students.
Khan M.J, Altaf S., Kausar H.(2013) conducted a study titled, "Consequence of Perceived
Academic Stress on Performance of Students". This study aims at the influence of
demographic factors like gender, age, and education level as well as the effect of academic
stress on students' performance. 150 students were randomly selected from Amongst the
many colleges in Islamabad. Men made up 75 of the responses, while women made up the
remaining 75 of the responses. The results revealed that academic stress had a considerable
impact on participants' performance. The Perceived Stress Scale scores of male as well as
female university students did not vary drastically (PSS). On the PSS, there was a fairly large
difference between junior and senior pupils. Younger pupils were found to experience more
academic stress than older students. When participant' stress levels were evaluated at the start
and end of the semester, and was found that there was a non-significant variation in their PSS
scores.
Menaga S, and Chandrasekaran V. (n.d.) conducted a study titled “A study on academic

stress of Higher Secondary school Students”. The aim of the research was to reduce the
Academic Stress of Higher Secondary Students and find out the differences in terms of
Gender, nature of School Management, and the Stream of Study. The sample consisted of
250 high school Students from the Thiruvannamalai district. This study used survey meth and
a simple random sampling technique. The study revealed that there was a significant
difference in the academic stress of high school Students with regards to their gender, and the
type of school administration, and there was also no significant difference in the academic
stress of students in regards to their family income and the stream of study.
Wani M. A., Sankar R. and Rakshantha P. (n.d.) conducted a study titled “Stress anxiety
and depression Amongst science and arts students”. The aim of the research was to find out
the effect of gender and ability on stress, anxiety and depression. The study wanted to
investigate the level of stress, anxiety and depression among boys and girls of science and art
Students. This study consisted of 260 students divided into two groups, boys and girls 130
students each in a Addition, this two groups are divided into two or more faculty wise groups
with 65 Students each group. Level of stress, anxiety and depression was measured by
depression in writing skills. The findings showed that the girl Students are prone to stress,
anxiety and depression than boys as they have Higher percentage in all three areas. The
results revealed both gender and security has significant effect on stress, anxiety and
depression with 0.05% level of significance.
Meher V. and MeherL. (n.d.) conducted a study titled “Psychological Stress Amongst
Higher Secondary School Students during Covid Era in relation to Gender, Caste, and
Locality”. The aim of the research was to study the psychological stress levels of high school
Students during the COVID pandemic and differences in psychological stress Amongst
Students by gender, caste, and location. We also explored the effects of gender, caste,
regionality, and their interactions on burden for upper Secondary school. In this study the
descriptive research method was used about 151 Students were sampled for the study. A
standardized stress scale was used for data collection. As the study was conducted during the
COVID era, data were collected in online mode. Obtained data were analyzed by descriptive
and inferential statistical tests. ANOVA results showed no significant interaction effects on
psychological distress in high school Students between gender, caste, and place of residence.
This provides novelty for the work, given that demographic variables such as were used.
Pourrajab M., Rabbani M.,&Kasmaienezhadfard S. (n.d.) conducted a study titled

“Different Effects of Stress on Male and Female students on different effects of academic
stress on male and female students”. Stress can be considered any internal or external factor
that makes adaptation to the environment difficult. The purpose of this study was to illustrate
the components of academic stress and to state the effects of stress on male and female
students. Stress is considered a positive or negative experience amongst students. It can
monitor the academic process and privacy of students. The results reveal that there is
difference between the stress levels of male and female students. In this study we will know
the meaning of academic stress. This is due to the different effects of stress on students based
on several studies.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Problem:-
The present study assesses Stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students Across Disciplines.
Objective
 To investigate gender difference of Stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students in the
Arts Discipline.
 To analyse gender difference of Stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students in the
 To study gender difference of Stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students in the
Science Discipline.
 To examine gender difference of Stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students Across
Disciplines
Research Method
Hypothesis:-
Ho1. There is no overall significant gender difference in the study of Stress Amongst
Higher Secondary Students.
Ha1.1. There is overall significant difference in the study of Stress Amongst Higher
Secondary Students Across Disciplines.
Ho2. There is no significant gender difference in the study of Stress Amongst Higher
Secondary Students in the Arts Discipline.
Secondary Students in the Commerce Discipline.
Ha4. There is significant gender difference in the study of Stress Amongst Higher
Secondary Students in the Science Discipline.
Variables:-
Independent Variable:
(i) Standards:
11th and 12th
(ii) The three Disciplines:
Arts, Commerce and Science.
(ii) Gender related differences in stress
Dependent Variable:
Scores obtained on the Student Stress Scale (SSS).
Scope of the study
Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or thought
that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stress is your body’s reaction to a challenge
or demand. In short, stress can be positive, such as when it helps you avoid danger or meet a
deadline. But when stress lasts for a long time, it may harm your health.
This research study seeks to investigate the Stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students
Across Disciplines. This research study also tries to understand if there are gender differences
of stress within each standard as well as Across all Disciplines.
Sample
The sample comprises of 120 Higher Secondary Students, from the age group of 15-18 years.
A total of 120 Students were administered the Student’s Stress Scale, 60 were females and 60
were males. The sample was a representative of Higher Secondary Students of three
Disciplines which is Arts, Commerce and Science. In the present study we used the
convenient sampling.
Disciplines Standards Females Males
Arts 11th 10 10
12th 10 10
th
Commerce 11 10 10
th
12 10 10
Science 11th 10 10
12th 10 10
Total 60 60
Procedure: -
This study seeks to assess Stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students Across Disciplines.
The researchers along with the guide identified the research problem. Based on the identified
research problem the researchers outlined the objectives, framed the hypothesis and listed
various independent and dependent variables to be studied. In order to collect data the
Student Stress Scale was administered to a total of 120 Students, 60 males and 60 females.
The researcher explained the purpose of the study to the subjects and then administered the
scale. Once the data was collected the researchers scored each answer sheet and used
appropriate statistical tool to analyse the data will make changes after the research.
Research Tools: -
For the purpose of this test the Student Stress Scale was used to collect data on the level of
stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students.
The Student Stress Scale: This scale focuses on events that may occur in the life of a
student to offer a different perspective for evaluating stress. The Student Stress Scale is an
adaptation for college Students of the Life Events Scale developed originally by Holmes and
Rahe. This popular stress assessment measures the amount of change, using Life Change
Units, a person was required to adapt to in the previous year. This scale contains 51 items
with five optional responses that are always, often, sometimes, rarely and never. There are 41
positive and 10 negative items in this scale.
CHAPTER II
DATA ANALYSIS
The Student Stress Scale was administered to a sample of 120 Higher Secondary Students.
The age range was from 15-18 years. The sample consisted of 60 females and 60 males. The
sample was a representative of Higher Secondary Students of three Disciplines which is Arts,
Commerce and Science.
The Student Stress Scale was used on the subject to facilitate the investigation of the Student
Stress Across Disciplines. In order to check the hypotheses and to facilitate the interpretation
of the results, data was assessed by applying a variety of statistical techniques using the
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.
The statistical technique of mean standard deviation, independent t test and ANOVA was
used. To depict the data tables and graphs were drawn to represent the gender differences on
the student stress Across Disciplines.
Secondary Students.
Table 1.1 Indicates the overall mean gender differences in Stress Amongst Higher Secondary
Students Across Disciplines.
Gender Mean Std. Deviation t-Value
Females 156.0333 24.39086

-1.070
Males 160.3167 19.14308
Figure 1.1: Bar graph represents an overall mean gender differences in Stress Amongst
Higher Secondary Students Across Disciplines.
161
160
Mean 159
158
157 Females
Males
156
155
154
153
Gender
Figure 1.1 To Indicate by and large gender differences in the study of Stress Amongst Higher
Secondary Students. An overall mean difference was assessed in order to see the gender
difference in stress Across Disciplines. Results reveal means of females (M=156.03) and
males (M=160.31) Amongst the Higher Secondary Students. The calculated t-Value was -
1.070 and was found to be considerable (tcal= -1.070, p< 0.05), therefore the hypothesis
stating that “There is no overall significant gender difference in the study of Stress Amongst
Higher Secondary Students” is supported.
Ha1.1. There is overall marked difference in the study of Stress Amongst Higher
Table 2.1 Indicates overall significant difference in the study of Stress Amongst Higher
Disciplines Means SD F
Arts 169.05 17.49 10.51***
Commerce 157.25 17.93
Science 148.22 24.84
*** P>.001
(Source primary data)
Table 2.1 Indicates overall significance difference in Stress AmongstHigher Secondary
Students Across Disciplines. An overall mean difference was assessed in order to find
difference in stress Across Disciplines. Results showed the means of Arts Discipline
(M=169.05), the means of Commerce Disciplines (157.25) and the means of Science
Discipline (M=148.22). The Standard Deviation of Arts Discipline was 17.49, the Commerce
Discipline was 17.93 and the Science Discipline was 24.84. The F Ratio for all the three
Discipline is 10.51, therefore the hypothesis stating that, “there is overall significant
difference in the study of Stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students Across Discipline is
supported.
Ho2: There is no significant gender difference in Stress Amongst Higher Secondary

Students in the Arts Discipline.
Table 3.1 Indicates overall mean gender difference in Stress Amongst Higher Secondary
Females 171.9 13.27

1.031
Males 166.2 20.84
(Source primary data)

noteworthy at *0.05
Higher Secondary Students in the Arts Discipline.
173
172
171
170
Mean
169
168 males
females
167
166
165
164
163
Arts
Figure 2.1 Indicates overall gender differences in Stress AmongstHigher Secondary Students
in the Arts Discipline. An overall mean difference was assessed in order to see the gender
difference in stress Across Disciplines. Results reveal means of females (M=171.9) and males
(166.2) Amid the Higher Secondary Students the Stress in the Arts Discipline. The
calculation of the t-value was found to be 1.03 and was noted to be significant (tcal=1.03, p>
0.05), as a result the hypothesis stating that “There is no significant gender difference in
Stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students in the Arts Discipline is supported.
Students in the Commerce Discipline.
Table 4.1 Indicates overall mean gender difference in Stress AmongstHigher Secondary
Females 160.45 20.77

1.03
Males 154.05 14.40
(source primary data)

Significant at *0.05 level of significance
Figure 3.1: Bar graph representsan overall mean gender difference in Stress AmongstHigher
Secondary Students in the Commerce Discipline.
166
164
162
Mean
160
158
Girls
156 Boys
154
152
150
148
Commerce
Figure 3.1 Indicates overall gender difference in Stress AmongstHigher Secondary Students
in the Commerce Discipline. An overall mean difference was assessed in order to see the
differences in Stress Amongst gender in Commerce Discipline. Results reveal means of
females (M=160.45) and males (M=154.05) Amongst Higher Secondary Students in Stress.
The calculated t-value was 1.03 and was not significant (tcal=1.03, p> 0.05), therefore the
hypothesis stating that “There is no significant gender difference in Stress Amongst Higher
Secondary Students in the Commerce Discipline is supported.”
Ha4: There is a significant gender difference in Stress Amongst Higher Secondary
Students in the Science Discipline.
Table 5.1 Indicates overall mean gender in Stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students in the
Science Discipline.
Gender Mean Std. Deviation t-Test
Females 135.7 22.82 -3.64
Males 160.7 20.44
(Source primary data )
Significant at * *0.01 P < 2.00
Higher Secondary Students in the Science Discipline.
165
160
155
150
Mean
145
Females
140 Males
135
130
125
120
Science
Figure 4.1 Indicates the overall mean gender difference in Stress Amongst Higher Secondary
Students in the Science Discipline. An overall mean was assessed in order to see the gender
differences in Stress Amongst the Higher Secondary Students in the Science Discipline.
Results reveals differences in the means of females (M=135.75) and males (M=160.7) in
Stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students in Science Discipline. The calculated t-value was
-3.64 and was found to be significant (tcal= -3.64, p< 0.05), therefore the hypothesis stating
that “There is a significant gender difference in Stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students
in the Science Discipline is supported.”
CHAPTER III
CONCLUSION
The present study was undertaken to study the Stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students
Across Disciplines. The sampling method used for the purpose of the study is convenient
sampling which were selected from the different Higher Secondary’s of Goa. The total
sample consists of 120 Students out of which were 60 male Students and 60 female Students
from the age group of 15 to 18 years. The samples comprised of Higher Secondary Students
of three Disciplines namely Arts, Commerce and Science.
In this study, data was obtained using the Students Stress Scale by Dr.Zaki Akhtar. Statistical
tools were used to compare and examine the variables under the study. All the hypothesis
were tested using the t-test. Based on the results of our findings of the present study, the
following conclusions were drawn therein:
Ho1. There is no overall significant gender difference in the study of Stress Amongst
Higher Secondary Students.
According to the present study, the mean scores for the females was 156.03 and for the male
was 160.31. The standard deviation for the females was 24.39 and for the males was 19.14.
The t-test value was -1.07 and was not significant at 0.05 level of significance. Therefore, the
hypothesis stating that “There is no overall significant gender difference in the study of Stress
Amongst HigherSecondaryStudents” is accepted. A study conducted by Glenn M. Calaguas,
entitled as ‘College Academic Stress: Differences along Gender Lines’ revealed that there
was no significant gender differences with regards to academic Stress Amongst Higher
Secondary Students.
Ha1.1. There is overall significant difference in the study of stress Amongst Higher
According to the present study, the mean score for Arts Discipline was 169.05, for
Commerce Discipline was 157.25 and for Science Discipline was 148.22. The standard
deviation for the Arts Discipline was 17.49, for Commerce Discipline was 17.93 and for
Science Discipline was 24.84. The F ratio for all the three Disciplines was 10.51 and was
significant at 0.01 level of significance. Thus the hypothesis stating that “There is overall
significant difference in the study of stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students Across
Disciplines” is accepted. A research study by Debasree Sadhukhan and Paromita Ghosh on
‘Influence of stream of study on educational adjustment and study involvement of Higher
Secondary Students’ support the significant influence of Stress Across various Disciplines
Amongst the Higher Secondary Students.
The results of our study show that the mean score of females (171.9) was Higher than the
mean score of males (166.2) and the standard deviation of females and males was calculated
to be 13.27 and 20.84 respectively. The calculated t-value was 1.03 and it was found to be not
significant at 0.05 level. Thus the hypothesis stating that, "There is no significant gender
difference in Stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students in the Arts Discipline" is accepted.
A review by Shubam Sharma, Dr. B. P. Chamola, and Nikita Pandey on ‘Comparative Study
of Stress Amongst Students of different streams Science and Arts’ indicated that males and
females enrolled in arts stream when compared to each other varied significantly in their
academic stress however, in the present sample studied the results were not significant.

In the present study, the mean of female Students was (160.45) and of male Students was
(154.05). The standard deviation of females was 20.77 and of males it was 14.40. The t-test
value was found to be 1.03 which was not significant at 0.05 level of significance, therefore
the above hypothesis stating that “There is no significant gender difference in Stress Amongst
Higher Secondary Students in the Commerce Discipline” is accepted. A study by
SwetaSonali (2018) found that males and females enrolled in Commerce stream did not vary
significantly in their academic stress.
Ha 4: There is a significant gender difference in Stress Amongst Higher Secondary

Students in the Science Discipline.
In the present study, the mean of female Students was (135.7) and of male Students was
(160.7). The standard deviation of females was 22.82 and of males it was 20.44. The t-test
value was found to be -3.64 which was significant at 0.05 level of significance; therefore
the above hypothesis stating that “There is a significant gender difference in Stress Amongst
Higher Secondary Students in the Science Discipline” is accepted. Researcher P. Suresh
Prabu (2015) revealed in his study on academic stress Amongst Higher Secondary Students
that, Students from the Science Stream experienced Higher stress than Arts Students.
Limitations of the study:
1. The study was restricted to only SalceteTaluka.
2. The sample size consisted of only 120 Higher Secondary Students Across three
Disciplines.
3. The respondents found the questionnaire to be very lengthy
4. The number of variables were limited.
Suggestion for further research:
1. Considering the statements in the questionnaire, one needs a revised questionnaire.
2. Different aged groups could be considered to compare the level of Stress.
3. In the future, urban and rural areas could be undertaken for research.
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ANNEXURE-I
Students Stress Scale Across Discipline
By:
Date:__________
Name:______________________ Name of the School:_________________
Class:______________ Stream:______________ Gender:____________
Instructions:-
On the following pages 51 statements have been given which you can look up representative
changes in you life and see how much stress value each of these changes is adding to your
life.
You are supposed to give your reply on any five options given for each statement by putting a
cross in the appropriate “□” box. The option given are : Always, Often, Sometimes, Rarely,
and Never.
Kindly reply to all the 51 statements.
Your responses will be kept confidential.
Scoring table:-
Sr.No. STATEMENT Response Score

Always Ofte Sometimes Rarely Never
n
1. Do Traffic Jams in
cities causes irritation
to you ?
2. Does noise pollution

near the house causes
lack of concentration in
you ?
3. Does death of a very

close person brings
dismay to your mind?
4 Does the routine
maintenance of diet not
create uneasiness?
5. Does tension of
completing a target in a
short span of time
causes stress in you ?
6. Does a strained
relationship with a
friend/teacher cause
stress in you?
7. Does the scorching heat

of May disturb
efficiency in your
work?
8. Does getting stuck on

the roads due to heavy
rains make you tensed?
9. Does playing in a final

match put you in a lot
of pressure?
10. Does any political

tension in town such as
Bandh or Curfew cause
stress in you?
11. Does the choice of

whether to study Arts
or Science or
Commerce brings in
mental conflict in you ?
12. Does the extremes in

the climate cause
discomfort in you ?
13. Does restrictions let

down by parents cause
anger in you ?
14. Does the failure in the

examination not cause
frustration in you ?
15. Does the disturbances
by naughty students in
the class affect your
concentration?
16. Does shortage of

finance create so much
of stress in your mind ?
17. Does the ragging by the

seniors in the
Institution not increase
your stress level?
18. Does the sudden insult

in any situation affect
your mental peace?
19. Does the rude/ill

behavior of your near
and dear one’s affect
you ?
20. Does sudden proposal

of marriage has a
negative impact on
your study?
21. Does the disclosure of

your affair among the
family members not
affect your stress
level ?
22. Does the frequent

conflict between your
parents and talks of
divorce not affect your
concentration level?
23. Does failure to get

admission in your
institution of your
choice affect your
stress level?
24. Does the pressure of

your household work
increase your stress
level?
25. Do you experience

stress due to personal
loss or illness?
26. Does getting late

during examination
increase your tension ?
27. Does the surprise

checking of vehicles by
cops create stress in
you?
28. Does not getting

appropriate things at
right time create stress
in you ?
29. Does the feeling of

inferiority create stress
in you ?
30. Does the progress of

your rival students
create stress in you ?
31. Does the arrival of

guests at the time of
exams cause stress in
you ?
32. Does load shedding

during examination
cause stress in you?
33. Does the change of

school affect your
performance?
34. Does the experience of
chronic diseases such
as asthma, cancer, T.B.,
etc. cause stress in you?
35. Does the change in

sleeping habits
/insufficient sleep not
cause stress in you ?
36. Does the rivalry among
siblings cause you
stress ?
37. Does the betrayal by

the girlfriend/boyfriend
not cause stress in you?
38. Do you experience

stress of facing
examination without
full preparation?
39. Does the rude

punishment by the
teacher cause stress in
you ?
40. Does separation of the

best friend not cause
stress in you ?
41. Does strained

relationship with an
authority (hostel
warden, teacher, etc.)
42. Does the parents

favoring other siblings
increase your stress
levels ?
43. Does indifferent

behavior of people
towards you increase
mental conflict in you ?
44. Does parents not

trusting you at certain
occasions create stress
in your mind?
45. Does misunderstanding

by people/friends
create stress in you?
46. Does any family
member/close friend
being imprisoned not
47. Does comparison
between you and others
make you feel inferior?
48. Does without any fault

of yours, if you are
alleged create stress in
you?
49. Does the courses in

classes not completed
in time hamper your
preparation?
50. Does dishonour of your

family/dear ones by
others not increase your
stress level?
51. Does any family

member developing
physical/mental illness
create stress in you?
ANNEXURE-II
Raw Scores
Arts 11th 12th
Sr. No. Females Males Females Males
1 199 141 176 176
2 163 186 196 149
3 166 222 169 154
4 172 168 181 175
5 170 153 157 171
6 168 147 177 195
7 180 178 158 147
8 157 156 166 155
9 150 180 190 149
10 182 187 161 143
Commerce 11th 12th
Sr. No. Female Males Females Males

s
1 156 170 152 146
2 172 169 183 168
3 162 147 191 157
4 157 156 198 150
5 168 128 171 141
6 151 185 154 153
7 160 134 129 153
8 164 166 172 163
9 110 152 128 144
10 162 166 169 133
Science 11th 12th
Sr. No. Females Males Females Males
1 178 177 149 179
2 117 177 117 133
3 154 184 156 142
4 118 181 190 140
5 114 181 110 119
6 102 177 150 141
7 131 161 133 190
8 135 151 149 149
9 117 141 124 175
10 141 164 130 152

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______________________________________________________

A STUDY OF STRESS AMONGST HIGHER SECONDARY

Assoc. Prof. Mrs. Tanya Marchon e Mascarenhas

ROLL.NO NAME SIGNATURE

A205606 Ms. BLESSY MARLINE DE SOUZA

A205637 Ms. MERCY LIZA OLIVEIRA

A205649 Ms. SANA TAN JOSE

A205719 Ms. FAREN STENA FERNANDES

A205716 Ms. DEJAH FERNANDES

A205752 Ms. RIZELLA CIA ALMEIDA

A205757 Ms. SIMONIA COUTINHO

Sr. No. Chapter Title Page No.

2. II Data analysis and findings 25-34

3. III Conclusion 35-37

Table no. 1.1 Indicates overall mean gender

Figure 1.1 Bar graph represents an overall

Stimulus or Environmental Stress Perspectives

Integrative or Transactional Stress Perspectives

2. The Diathesis Stress Model

3. Optimal Information Flow and Mood

5. Cognitive Stress Model

AFFIRMATIVE AND PESSIMISTIC EFFECTS OF STRESS: -

 Pessimistic effects of stress:

Theory of Arousal of Stress

Theory of Emotional Functioning

Theory of Helplessness and Stress

Salam, A; Yousuf, R; Bakar, A. M .S&Haque , M(2013). A research study titled “Stress

Joshua D. O.; Solomon B. O.; Racheal A. O. (2019) conducted a study titled as

Maykrantz, S. A. & Houghton, J. D. (2020) conducted a research study entitled as “Self-

Bataineh M. Z. (2013) conducted a research study entitled as “Academic stress Amongst

Chellamuthu,S. &Venkatachalam, J. (July 2019) conducted a research study titled

Menaga S, and Chandrasekaran V. (n.d.) conducted a study titled “A study on academic

Pourrajab M., Rabbani M.,&Kasmaienezhadfard S. (n.d.) conducted a study titled

Disciplines Standards Females Males

Gender Mean Std. Deviation t-Value

Females 156.0333 24.39086

Arts 169.05 17.49 10.51***

Commerce 157.25 17.93

Science 148.22 24.84

Ho2: There is no significant gender difference in Stress Amongst Higher Secondary

Gender Mean Std. Deviation t-Value

Females 171.9 13.27

(Source primary data)

Gender Mean Std. Deviation t-Value

Females 160.45 20.77

(source primary data)

Gender Mean Std. Deviation t-Test

Females 135.7 22.82 -3.64

Males 160.7 20.44

Ho3: There is no significant gender difference in Stress Amongst Higher Secondary

Ha 4: There is a significant gender difference in Stress Amongst Higher Secondary

1. The study was restricted to only SalceteTaluka.

3. The respondents found the questionnaire to be very lengthy

4. The number of variables were limited.

Suggestion for further research:

1. Considering the statements in the questionnaire, one needs a revised questionnaire.

2. Different aged groups could be considered to compare the level of Stress.

 Chandrasekaran, &Menaga. (n.d.). Study on academic stress of Higher Secondary school

 Khan, Altaf, &kausar. (2013). Effect of Perceived Academic Stress on Students’

 Sonali. (2018, September 2). Research Guru. Retrieved from

Sr.No. STATEMENT Response Score

2. Does noise pollution