Stress levels among different course in college

Related study

Published online 2013 Jun 25.

PMCID: PMC3749028

A Study of Stress among Students of Professional Colleges from an Urban area in India

Abstract

Objectives:
Various studies across the globe have emphasised that students undertaking professional
courses, such as medical and dental studies, are subjected to higher stress. Excessive stress
could lead to psychological problems like depression and anxiety. The objective of the current
study was to assess stress among students of various professional colleges and its association
with various academic, social and health-related factors.

Methods:
This cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2011 to February 2012 among
students of medical, dental and engineering colleges from the urban area of Sangli district,
Maharashtra, India, using a convenience sampling technique. The calculated total sample size
was 1,200. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was used for the data collection.
Analysis was done using percentage, the chi-square test, binary logistic regression and
multinomial logistic regression.

Advances in Knowledge

- Studies of stress among engineering students are rare, especially in India. The research
in this current study addresses the issue.

- This study shows that, along with academic factors, health problems and the
environment of colleges and hostels can play an important role in the development of
stress.

Application to Patient Care:

- This research highlights the need to incorporate stress management education in the
curriculum, as well as to develop mechanisms for decreasing stress among students in
colleges.
 - Similarly, this study highlights the importance of creating positive environments at
colleges and hostels to decrease stress among students.

STRESS CAN BE DEFINED AS ANY CHALLENGE to homoeostasis, or to the bodys internal sense of
balance.1 It can manifest itself either as eustress or as distress. Eustress, literally translated as
good stress, is a positive form of stress that motivates an individual to continue working. It is
when this stress is no longer tolerable and/or manageable that distress manifests. Distress, or
bad stress, is the point at which the good stress becomes too much to bear or cope with. Some
signals that this change has occurred are when tension begins to build, and there is no longer
any fun in the challenge or there seems to be no relief or end in sight. This kind of stress is well-
known, and may lead to poor decision-making. The general characteristics of a person in
distress are: being over-aroused; tense or unable to relax; touchy, easily upset or irritable; easily
startled or fidgety, and demonstrating intolerance of any interruption or delay. Excessive stress
results in an increased prevalence of psychological problems like depression, anxiety, substance
abuse and suicide ideation.1,2
Various studies around the globe have emphasised that students studying in medical and dental
courses experience higher stress.36 However there are few studies on this topic in India,
especially on populations in smaller cities. Engineering students take half-yearly examinations,
as compared to the annual examinations taken by medical and dental students. Theoretically,
the higher frequency of examinations should lead to a higher prevalence of stress among
engineering students. However, there are very few studies on the prevalence of stress among
engineering students, especially in India. The present study was undertaken in order to assess
the prevalence of stress among students of medical, dental and engineering colleges, and the
association of stress with various academic, social and health-related factors, in an urban area
from the Sangli district of Western Maharashtra, India.

A Comparative Study of Stress Among Students of Medicine, Engineering, and Nursing

2011 Jul-Dec

Abstract
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INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, there is increasing pressure and stress in students. This might be related to studies,
examination, peer, teachers or parent's pressure. Stress is difficult to define. Selye originally
suggested that stress is simply the rate of wear and tear in the body.[1] Others use the term to
refer to the external stimulus that causes wear and tear or to the resulting internal damage, the
response. This has led to considerable confusion as Occupational Health has followed the
original physics definition where an external stimulus stresses an organism which then feels
strain. Psychology, on the other hand, has followed the transactional model which emphasizes
intervening psychological processes. In this model, stress is considered only to occur when the
person perceives an external demand as extending his or her capability to deal with it. Thus, the
individual personal evaluation of the nature of the demand, of the available resources and
personal skills, and of the presumed outcomes, will determine whether stress is experienced.
This approach both recognizes and deals with individual differences.[2]
The interpretation of what is stressful and the reaction to a source of stress will be different for
each of us. Although a model of stress acceptable to everyone has yet to be developed, the
diagram below, from Cooper and Eaker, suggests that the process of stress is made up of
environmental and individual factors and how they are appraised by the individual.[3]

What is stress?
Stress is the wear and tear our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing
environment; it has physical and emotional effects on us and can create positive or negative
influence on us. As a positive influence, stress can help compel us to action. As a negative
influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger, and depression, which in turn can
lead to health problems such as headaches, upset stomach rashes, insomnia, ulcers, high blood
pressure, heart disease, and stroke. With the death of a loved one, the birth of a child, a job
promotion, or a new relationship, we experience stress as we readjust our lives. In so adjusting
to different circumstances, stress will help or hinder us depending on how we react to it.

So what is stress?

Stress is where a person feels threatened by or under pressure from a particular situation and
their body reacts accordingly. Hormones are released to prepare the body for action. The
heartbeat increases and blood pressure rises. More blood is sent to the heart and the major
muscles and is diverted away from less important areas such as the digestive system (hence,
the nausea that is often experienced during stress).
The major stressors identified by the respondents of the national survey. Table 1 indicates the
variety of all stressors reported by trainees.

The Mental Stress Levels of Students Studying In Different Professional Courses

Abstract: Aim: Survey on the stress levels faced by students studying in different professional
courses. Objective: To find out the mental stress levels of students in different professional
courses. Background: Mental stress is commonly faced by students studying in different courses
which leads to many adverse effects such as overeating,high BP,insomnia,depressions and
suicidal thoughts.Stress affected students may also turn to drugs and alcohol abuse which leads
to social isolation and open to self harm.There are many reasons for stress faced by students
which includes pressure from parents,fear of their
future,monetaryproblems,academiccompetion,etc. Reason: This survey is conducted inorder to
find out the courses having high levels of mental stress on students which can aidin
management of counselling and to find out reasons for the high level of stress put on them so
that it can be reduced or eliminated.
1999 Student Stress: An Analysis of Stress Levels Associated with Higher Education in the
Social Sciences

1999

Darcy A. Keady Utah State University

A university sample of238 undergraduate and graduate students between the ages of 19 and 58
completed the Student Stress Measure. Specifically, upper-division undergraduate students and
clinicaVnonclinical graduate students in social science programs (FHD, Social Work, Sociology,
Psychology) were measured for stress level differences due to their particular academic
requirements. Results indicate that, overall, graduate students are more stressed than
undergraduate students. Of the graduate students, Sociology students were most stressed in
terms of Lifestyle stress scores. The comparison of clinical and non-clinical graduate students
shows that there is no difference in stress levels. The Psychology and MFT graduate student
comparison indicates that Psychology students are more stressed than MFT students on the
Lifestyle Scale only. Fourteen program requirements are related positively to stress levels. The
Academic Stressors Scale was the only stress measure that yielded statistical significance for
gender, employment status, and marital status. Age correlated negatively with the Events Scale.
Confounding factors, such as sample size, are addressed. Suggestions for future research are
provided.