Mental Health of College Students Due to Academic Pressure
Author: Sumit Meshram, Punam Jethe, Nilesh Turankar
Introduction:
Academic pressure is a major concern among college students, affecting their mental well-being. The increasing burden of coursework, exams, and high expectations contributes to stress, anxiety, and emotional struggles. This study explores how academic pressure influences students’ mental health and their ability to cope with stress.
Objective:
The objective of this study is to examine the impact of academic pressure on the mental health of college students and identify areas requiring intervention.
Literature Review:
Naizhu at al (2020) stated that how academic stress and incivility impact college students’ psychological health. It finds that both factors increase psychological distress, but gratitude helps reduce the negative effects of incivility, though not academic stress. The research suggests promoting gratitude-based interventions and stress management programs in universities to improve student well-being.
Rabia at al (2023) stated that the impact of academic procrastination on depression, anxiety, and stress among college students. Using a correlational research design with 251 students, the results show that procrastination significantly increases psychological distress. Procrastination is linked to self-regulation failure, leading to guilt, shame, and anxiety. To reduce its negative effects, interventions such as goal-setting, time management, and stress management techniques are recommended. Universities should also focus on study skills training and strategies to enhance students’ self-discipline.
Data Collection:
For the above problem we framed 5 questions on the Likert Scale and we approached 100 students of KBS with google form. With the answers strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree and strongly agree. They were coded as 5,4,3,2 and 1. 50 that hypothesised mean is 3. Also, for each question mean, standard deviation, standard error and z-scores were calculated. The questions were as follows:
- Academic pressure reduces my focus and concentration.
- Fear of failure causes anxiety that affects my learning.
- Academic stress disrupts my sleep and energy levels.
- I often feel emotionally overwhelmed due to studies.
- Academic pressure makes me worry about handling future stress.
Data Analysis:
|
column |
Q1 |
Q2 |
Q3 |
Q4 |
Q1 |
|
Mean |
3.82 |
3.48 |
3.62 |
2.04 |
1.09 |
|
SD |
1.29 |
1.27 |
1.31 |
1.65 |
1.37 |
|
SE |
0.13 |
0.13 |
0.13 |
0.16 |
0.13 |
|
Z |
6.33 |
3.81 |
4.73 |
-5.76 |
-13.89 |
|
Result |
positive |
positive |
positive |
negative |
negative |
Conclusion:
1. Academic pressure reduces my focus and concentration- The results indicate a positive correlation, meaning academic pressure significantly affects students’ ability to concentrate.
2. Fear of failure causes anxiety that affects my learning- A positive correlation shows that fear of failure contributes to increased anxiety, negatively impacting students’ learning.
3. Academic stress disrupts my sleep and energy levels- The findings confirm a positive relationship, suggesting that academic stress leads to sleep disturbances and reduced energy levels.
4. I often feel emotionally overwhelmed due to studies- A negative correlation suggests that students generally do not feel emotionally overwhelmed, though individual experiences may vary.
5. Academic pressure makes me worry about handling future stress- The results show a negative correlation, indicating that academic pressure does not necessarily help students develop resilience for future stress.
Reference:
Naizhu Huang & Shaoping Qiu & Amin Alizadeh & Hongchao Wu, 2020. “How Incivility and Academic Stress Influence Psychological Health among College Students: The Moderating Role of Gratitude,” IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-10, May.
Rabia Umar & Mishal Nazir & Anamaza Mazhar & Umar Hayat & Zainab Kausar Khan & Areeba Iqbal, 2023. “Academic Procrastination as a Predictor of Depression, Anxiety and Stress Among College Students,” Bulletin of Business and Economics (BBE), Research Foundation for Humanity (RFH), vol. 12(3), pages 807-810.