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Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 26 (3): 2115 - 2128 (2018)
ISSN: 0128-7702
e-ISSN 2231-8534
SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES
Journal homepage: http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/
Article history:
Received: 19 January 2018
Accepted: 29 June 2018
Published: 28 September 2018
ARTICLE INFO
E-mail addresses:
malar79vili@gmail.com (Malarvili Ramachandiran)
saroja.dhanapal@um.edu.my (Saroja Dhanapal)
* Corresponding author
© Universiti Putra Malaysia Press
Academic Stress Among University Students: A Quantitative
Study of Generation Y and Z’s Perception
Malarvili Ramachandiran1* and Saroja Dhanapal2
1Taylor’s University, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
2Faculty of Law, Jalan Universiti, Universiti Malaya (UM), 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
ABSTRACT
Concerns on academic-related stress among students in institutions of higher learning are
widespread. Pursuing tertiary education is said to be stressful as students pass through
the process of adapting to new educational and social environments. Past literature has
highlighted that common academic stressors include family-related pressures, scholarship
requirements, nancial burdens, competition in class and course-related stress. These
stressors trigger physical and psychological issues resulting in lack of energy, loss of
appetite, headaches, sleep problems or gastrointestinal problems. Although studies have
been done on common stressors in universities/colleges, perceptions of what are considered
academic stressors from the Generation Y and Z perspectives using the Perceived Stress
Test (PSS) have not been carried out in the Malaysian context. Thus, this quantitative
study aims to identify the perceptions of Gen Y and Z (18-25 years old) students to
identify factors attributing to stress and their effects. The ndings show that 88% of the
respondents conrmed that studies are the main cause of their stress, while 78% admitted
facing a moderate stress level and out of this, 36% had BMI that fell in the overweight/
obese category. Further, the study indicates that 54% experienced sleeping disorders. It
is hoped that the ndings will add to the
understanding of the stress levels among
Generation Y and Z to enable policy-makers
and university/college management teams to
strategise actions to alleviate issues arising
from academic stress among students.
Keywords: Academic stress, perceived stress test,
biochemical changes, physical and psychological
issues, stress factors
Malarvili Ramachandiran and Saroja Dhanapal
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Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 26 (3): 2115 - 2128 (2018)
INTRODUCTION
Stress is a multi-faceted construct that
is affected by a large number of factors.
According to Towbes and Cohen (1996),
stress is a major issue for college students
as they cope with a variety of academic,
social and personal challenges. Most
rst-year undergraduates are living apart
from their parents for the rst time and in
addition, more advanced undergraduates
face continuing pressure for academic
performance as well as in making difcult
career choices and job search issues (Oman,
Shapiro, Thoresen, Plante, & Flinders,
2008). McNamara (2000) supported this
argument, stating that the transition from
childhood to young adulthood, often marked
by beginning college education, was a
particularly stressful time. According to
Thawabieh and Qaisy (2012), the transition
of students from the school environment
to university environment could cause
psychological, academic and social shock
due to the differences in the education
system in terms of new methods of teaching,
academic requirements, type of relationship
between students and faculty and even
relationships among students themselves.
Stress has been shown to manifest as
fatigue, tension, dizziness, sleeplessness,
tachycardia, gastrointestinal symptoms,
irritability, anxiety and cynicism (Cecchini &
Friedman, 1987; Grandy, Westerman, Lupo
& Combs 1988; Knudsen, 1978; Martinez,
1977; Tedesco, 1986; Wexler, 1978). Since
admission to professional courses is largely
on the basis of merit, competition is intense
and many students may have to settle
for an educational programme that is not
their first choice. Previous studies have
shown that these students may experience
higher stress than those who enrolled in
their preferred educational programme
(Rajab, 2001). Other symptoms of stress
highlighted by researchers over the years
include anxiety and depression (Segrin,
1999), suicidal ideation and hopelessness
(Dixon, Rumford, Heppner, & Lips 1992),
poor health behaviour (Naquin & Gilbert,
1996; Sadava & Pak, 1993), increase in
headaches (Labbé, Murphy, & O’Brien,
1997), sleep disturbances (Verlander,
Benedict, & Hanson, 1999), increased
rates of athletic injury (Laubach, Brewer,
Van Raalte, & Petitpas 1996) and frequent
occurrences of the common cold (Stone
et.al., 1992).
Research on stress among students and
their effects have been well-documented in
many Western countries. Researchers are
in agreement that students share common
academic stressors such as family-related
pressures, scholarship requirements,
financial burdens, competition in class,
examination, time-management and course-
related stress. However, there has been
a dearth of studies on the perceptions of
Gen Y and Z about academic stressors and
their effects, especially in the Malaysian
context. Thus, this quantitative study
aimed to identify the perceptions of Gen
Y and Z students in a tertiary education
institution in Malaysia as to the factors
causing them stress and the effects of stress
on their mental and physical health. For the
purpose of this study, Generation Y will
Academic Stress among University Students
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Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 26 (3): 2115 - 2128 (2018)
refer to those born between 1981 and 1994,
while Generation Z will include those born
from 1995 to 2012 (McCrindle, 2006). The
reason for choosing Generation Y and Z as
the sample was due to the fact that these
generations grew up in an era that was
totally different from that of baby boomers
and Generation X. Their lives whirl around
fading culture, secularism and the advent of
digital technology. Surrounded by modern
gadgets run on scientic technology that
support an increasingly perplexing lifestyle
impacting hugely on family relationships
has exposed these generations to higher
stress and challenges in coping with life
issues.
As issues related to stress and health
have constantly triggered concerns and
debates at various levels of stakeholders,
the focus of this research was mainly to
study the association of stress levels on
body mass index (BMI), blood glucose and
cholesterol levels, sleep deprivation as well
as blood pressure. The data obtained from
this research on Generation Y and Z was,
therefore, important as it may be able to
detect the stress burden faced by younger
generations as high levels of stress may
result in more severe or chronic problems as
the generations age. The specic objectives
of this study were:
(a) to categorise the stress levels
according to low, moderate and
high levels based on the Perceived
Stress Score (PSS) scoring system;
(b) to identify the factors contributing
to stress and its effects on the daily
activities of students; and
(c) to examine the relationship between
stress levels and the research
variables (BMI, blood glucose
levels, systolic blood pressure and
sleeping disorders).
LITERATURE REVIEW
Research into stress among students is not
new. Researchers have been researching and
debating the issue for a very long time as it
is essential to continue to understand how
students perceive and manage stress in their
daily lives. Stress has been dened in varied
ways. According to Lazarus and Cohen
(1977) as cited in Hamaideh (2011, p. 70),
stress means “any event in which internal
and/or environmental demands exceed
the adaptive resources of an individual or
social system,” while stressors are dened
as “demands made by the internal or
external environmental stimuli that affect
the balance, thus inuencing physical and
psychological well-being of an individual
and requiring actions to restore the balance.”
According to Pariat, Rynjah, Joplin and
Kharjana (2014), although college life is one
of the most entertaining and unforgettable
experiences of the individual, a closer
perspective would indicate that college
students encounter a number of challenges
in their daily lives that contribute to stress
and if not dealt with can only escalate and
hamper their academic performance and
emotional and social well-being. There have
also been studies on the effects of stress on
physical health. A study by Jenkins (1982)
noted that for myocardial infarction, a
condition where the heart muscle died, a
Malarvili Ramachandiran and Saroja Dhanapal
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Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 26 (3): 2115 - 2128 (2018)
certain cluster of symptoms and complaints
such as poor sleep, exhaustion and inability
to relax were conrmed risk factors.
Researchers have identied that stress
among students is triggered by different
sources in their academic life due to the
different personality and characteristics that
affect the way they react to those stressors
(Gadzella, 2004; Misra & McKean, 2000).
According to Furnham (2005), there are
three perceptions of stress i.e. response-
based or emanating from the individual’s
reactions to events and circumstances;
stimulus-based or the result of events and
circumstances; and interactive or resulting
from the interplay between stimuli and
responses. Many researchers have also
experientially studied the relationship
between demographic factors and stress.
Thawabieh and Qaisy (2012) in their research
highlighted three key research studies in this
area i.e. Hamaideh (2011), Chen, Wong, Ran
and Gilson (2009), and Sulaiman, Hassan,
Sapian and Abdullah (2009), all of which
are discussed here. According to Thawabieh
and Qaisy, the study of Hamaideh (2011)
indicated that the highest group of stressors
experienced by students was self-imposed
stressors followed by pressure and cognitive
responses. They added that Chen et al.
(2009)’s study that was carried out to
describe the relationship between college
stress, coping strategy and psychological
well-being proved that psychological
well-being had a negative relationship
with college stress and a positive coping
strategy had signicant buffering effects on
psychological health problems. Meanwhile,
Sulaiman et al. (2009)’s study found that
a significant difference in the level of
stress attributed to gender between rural
and urban secondary school students. The
study was comprehensive and highlighted
that factors such as parenting style and
parents’ education background do inuence
students’ stress. Other key researchers in
this area were also cited in their study, such
as Bayram and Bilgel (2009), Canales-
Gonzales and Kranz (2008), Wong, Cheung,
Chan, Ma and Wa Tang (2006) as well as
Skirka (2000).
In the Malaysian context, there has been
an increase in research in this area in the
past decade. However, most of the research
in Malaysia has been conducted in public
universities only. Shamsuddin et al. (2013)
carried out a study to assess the prevalence
of depression, anxiety and stress to identify
their correlation among university students.
Johari and Hassim (2009) carried out a
study to determine the prevalence of stress
and coping strategies among medical
students in the National University of
Malaysia, Malaysia University of Sabah
and Universiti Kuala Lumpur and Royal
College of Medicine, Perak. Yee and Yusoff
(2013) carried out a comparative study
to identify the prevalence and sources of
stress among medical students in Universiti
Sains Malaysia and Universiteit Maastricht.
Saub (2013) carried out research to explore
the association between social support and
stress levels among preclinical and clinical
dental students in Malaysia.
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It is inevitable that stress plays a
significant role in human mortality and
morbidity in developed nations around the
world; Malaysia is not an exception. Stress
has been a chief contributor to the burden
of suffering that is causing a wide range
of human illness (Macik-Frey, Quick, &
Nelson, 2007). According to Quick and
Cooper (2003), stress is either directly or
indirectly linked to seven out of 10 leading
causes of death in the United States, the
United Kingdom and all developed nations.
They further identified the seven causes
as heart disease, cancer, stroke, injuries,
suicide/homicide, chronic liver disease and
chronic bronchitis. Interestingly, Cooper
and Quick (2017) regarded stress as both the
spice of life and the kiss of death. They went
on to state that it was as an excellent rubric
for a domain of knowledge for clinical,
medical and psychological practice.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In this section, the methodology used in
the research is discussed. The researchers
adopted a quantitative research method
as it had been proven that understanding
perceptions is best done through this
manner (Creswell, 2013). In carrying out
this research, data were collected through
a survey. The researchers developed a
suitable questionnaire incorporating the
Perceived Scale Test (PSS) developed by
Cohen, Kamarck and Mermelstein (1983),
which was validated through a pilot study
administered among 15 students from the
same university. Based on the responses,
the survey questionnaire was edited to
improve clarity by removing inconsistencies
and errors. The questionnaire was divided
into four parts: demographic questions,
Perceived Stress Test (PSS), causes of
stress and its effects as well as biochemical
and anthropometric measurements. The
Perceived Stress Test (PSS) is a 10-question
survey that results in a scoring to categorise
stress levels into low (scores 0-13),
medium (score 14-26) and high (scores
27-40) categories. The responses to the
questionnaire were based on a 5-point
Likert scale with response options of
0=never, 1=almost never, 2=sometimes,
3=fairly often, and 4=very often. The
selection of respondents for the survey was
done using a non-probability convenient
sampling method from which students
from a private university in Malaysia
offering undergraduate programmes where
one of the researchers was afliated to be
selected. In order to full research ethical
requirements, approval from the university
was obtained. Consent was also obtained
from the respondents comprising students
from Year 1 to Year 3. Prior to obtaining
consent, the purpose of the study was
communicated well in advance to ensure that
the students’ participation in the research
was voluntary. The students’ body mass
index (BMI) was determined by measuring
body weight and height using calibrated
equipment and then classifying the BMI
value using the Asian BMI range. Blood
glucose and cholesterol were obtained by
nger-pricking and then analysing the blood
sample using a glucometer and a cholesterol
meter. A calibrated digital blood pressure
Malarvili Ramachandiran and Saroja Dhanapal
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monitor was used to obtain systolic and
diastolic blood pressure readings. All the
responses and measurements were captured
and subsequently, the data were coded
and then analysed to ensure anonymity
and confidentiality of respondents. The
quantitative data were analysed using SPSS
version 23. The ndings were then discussed
in line with the objectives of the study,
which were to investigate stress levels and
factors attributing to stress and the effects
of stress.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This section explains the ndings obtained
from the survey carried out among 124
respondents from a private university in
Malaysia. Table 1 provides the demographic
details of the respondents involved in the
study.
Out of the 124 respondents, 21.8%
were males and 78.2% were females. This
nding was not surprising as research has
Table 1
Demographic details of respondents
Demographics Frequency
(N)
Percentage
(%)
Gender
Male 27 21.8
Female 97 78.2
Age
21 and below 97 78.2
Above 21 27 21.8
Race
Chinese 68 54.8
Indian
Malay
Others
26
23
7
21.0
18.5
5.7
proven that female students outnumber male
students in higher institutions of education in
Malaysia. In 2016, there were approximately
399,240 female students enrolled in public
higher education institutions in Malaysia,
compared with around 268,250 male students
(Statista, 2018). The respondents were
all aged between 18 and 25 years old and
were pursuing a degree programme in the
university. In terms of age, the respondents
were divided into two categories: 21 and
below and above 21. The ndings indicated
that 78.2% of the respondents were aged
21 and below and 21.8% were aged above
21. An analysis of the race distribution
indicated that the majority were Chinese
(54.8%), followed by Indians (21.0%)
and Malays (18.5%). A small percentage
(5.7%) consisted of respondents from other
races, including international students
from various countries such as Nepal and
Indonesia. Figure 1 shows the classication
of stress levels based on the scoring of the
Perceived Stress Test (PSS).
Figure 1. Classication of stress levels among
respondents.
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Based on the ndings represented in
Figure 1, it was noted that the majority of the
respondents, or 78.2% of the respondents,
fell under the moderate level of stress
category, followed by those in the high level
(12.9%) category. Only a small number of
respondents (8.9%) fell under the low level
category. Further analysis of the figures
brought to light some interesting ndings.
From the total of 16 respondents who
indicated high level of stress, 10 (63%) were
aged 21 and below, while the remaining six
(37%) were aged above 21. The number
of respondents who reported experiencing
moderate and low levels of stress also
showed a similar pattern i.e. the majority
were in the age group of 21 and below.
The survey also sought answers from the
respondents on the factors that contributed
to their stress. Out of the 124 respondents,
only 119 respondents responded to this
question. Table 2 indicates the ndings.
Table 2
Factors contributing to stress
Factors Frequency
(N)
Percentage
(%)
Studies 105 88.2
Peer pressure 33 27.7
Family problems 31 26.1
Financial problems 29 24.4
Others 2 1.7
assignments, preparing oral presentations
as well as preparation for exams. The other
factors were not indicated as frequently
as studies. This conrmed ndings from
other research studies that identified
university life as being a very stressful part
of a student’s life (Towbes & Cohen, 1996;
Thawabieh & Qaisy, 2012).
In response to the question on whether
stress affected their daily lives, 56% of
the respondents responded afrmatively,
stating it did affect their daily lives, while
the remaining 44% stated that it did not.
Out of the 69 respondents (56%) who
conrmed that stress affected their daily
lives, 62 (90%) were found to be in the
moderate and high stress level categories.
With regard to the effect of stress on daily
life, the Perceived Stress Test identified
different impacts on the emotional state of
the respondents such as nervousness, anger,
loss of control, inability to cope and feelings
of irritation. In the survey, the respondents
were asked to state the frequency of these
occurances over the period of one month.
As indicated in Figure 1, the respondents
who fell under the categories of moderate
and high levels of stress selected the options
‘fairly often’ or ‘very often’ to show how
frequently they were affected by the stress
experienced.
Since past researchers (Lavie, 2001;
Pillar, Malhotra, & Lavie, 2000; Van
Reeth et al., 2000) have identied sleep as
one of the most common daily activities
affected by stress, in the current research,
an in-depth analysis was done to identify
the extent to which sleep was affected. Two
Almost 90% of the respondents
conrmed that their studies were the cause
of the stress they were experiencing. This
included attending lectures, preparing for
tutorials, carrying out individual and group
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questions specically focussed on sleep to
understand how student stress affected it.
The respondents were aske whether they
encountered any problems in sleeping and if
yes, they were requested to state the nature
of the problem. It was noted that 54% of the
respondents, equivalent to 67 respondents
experienced some form of sleeping disorder.
The sleeping disorders experienced by these
67 respondents were then analysed. Figure
2 indicates the ndings.
Figure 2. Types of sleeping disorder experienced by respondents
As shown in Figure 2, a total of 45
respondents (67.2%) experienced insomnia,
a condition where one faces prolonged,
abnormal inability to obtain adequate
sleep (Medline online dictionary, 2012).
Another 20 respondents (29.8%) reported
snoring while sleeping. A small number
(3%) said they experienced obstructive
sleep apnea, a condition indicated by brief
periods of recurrent cessation of breathing
during sleep that is caused especially by
obstruction of the airway or a disturbance
in the brain’s respiratory centre (Medline
online dictionary, 2012). These ndings are
similar to the claim made by Sadeh, Keinan
and Daon (2004) that sleep problems faced
as a result of stress included difculty in
falling asleep, fragmented sleep as well
as recurrent and frequent nightmares.
According to Sadeh (1996) as well as Sadeh
and Gruber (2002), difculty in sleeping is
related to the response mode identied as the
sleep-wake system, where there is a “turn
on” response of the “alarm phase” as labeled
by Selye (1983) (as cited in Sadeh, Keinan
and Daon, 2004, p. 542) that is compatible
with hypervigilance and incompatible with
sleep.
The researchers also went on to
compare the body mass index (BMI) of the
respondents with their category of stress
level as indicated by the Perceived Stress
Test (PSS). Table 3 portrays the results
obtained from the survey.
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As indicated in Table 3, 35 respondents
(36%) who experienced a moderate level of
stress were overweight/obese while seven
(44%) who experienced a high level of stress
were overweight/obese. The ndings were
similar to past research that has proven that
obesity is a result of stress. According to
Kivimäki et al. (2006), there is a possibility
that stress can affect body mass index for
it may cause some people to eat less and
lose weight but others to eat more and gain
weight.
Table 3
Comparison between body mass index and stress level categories
BMI Classication Stress Level Categories
Low (N=11) Moderate (N=97) High (N=16)
Underweight
Ideal
Overweight/Obese
1
3
7
16
46
35
4
5
7
Table 4
Data for biochemical and physical parameters
Parameter Mean Standard Deviation
Glucose
Low stress category 3.72 0.652
Moderate stress category 3.57 0.745
High stress category 3.79 0.629
Cholesterol
Low stress category 5.12 0.729
Moderate stress category 4.83 0.732
High stress category 5.20 0.735
Body Mass Index
Low stress category
Moderate stress category
High stress category
26.57
22.70
23.68
7.973
5.576
6.536
Systolic Blood Pressure
Low stress category
Moderate stress category
High stress category
121.09
116.87
118.81
13.989
14.163
14.630
Table 4 indicates the mean and standard
deviation values obtained from respondents
based on their stress level category. An
ANOVA test was carried out to determine if
there were any differences in BMI, systolic
blood pressure and glucose and cholesterol
levels in the different categories of stress.
The analysis indicated that there was no
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significant difference between the three
stress categories (low, moderate and high)
and the measured variables.
In order to identify if a relationship
existed between the variables, a Pearson
correlation test was carried out. Table 5
shows the findings. The test indicated
evidence that a positive relationship existed
between BMI, glucose levels, cholesterol
levels and systolic blood pressure. However,
no evidence showed that a relationship
existed between stress levels and the
measured variables.
Table 5
Correlation between variables
Stress BMI Glucose Cholesterol SystolicBP
Stress Pearson
Correlation 1 -0.11 0.04 0.063 -0.023
Sig. (2-tailed) 0.226 0.659 0.492 0.802
N 124 124 124 122 124
BMI Pearson
Correlation -0.11 1 0.278** 0.194* 0.407**
Sig. (2-tailed) 0.226 0.002 0.032 0
N 124 124 124 122 124
Glucose Pearson
Correlation 0.04 0.278** 1 0.055 0.281**
Sig. (2-tailed) 0.659 0.002 0.546 0.002
N 124 124 124 122 124
Cholesterol Pearson
Correlation 0.063 0.194* 0.055 1 0.162
Sig. (2-tailed) 0.492 0.032 0.546 0.074
N 122 122 122 122 122
Systolic BP Pearson
Correlation -0.023 0.407** 0.281** 0.162 1
Sig. (2-tailed) 0.802 0 0.002 0.074
N 124 124 124 122 124
** Correlation is signicant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)
* Correlation is signicant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed)
CONCLUSION
This study was done to assess the perceived
factors of stress among Generation Y and Z
students in a private university in Malaysia.
The ndings of the research showed clearly
that the majority of the respondents, at
the percentage of 78.2%, fell under the
moderate level of stress category. It was also
proven without doubt that among the factors
identied as sources of stress were their
studies, peer pressure, family problems,
nancial problems and others. Their studies
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Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 26 (3): 2115 - 2128 (2018)
(88%) were said to be the factor that caused
the most stress. With regard to the effects
of stress, 56% of the respondents claimed
to have experienced some form of sleep
disorder. The research ndings also showed
that there was a positive relationship
between BMI, glucose levels, cholesterol
levels and systolic blood pressure. However,
there was no evidence to indicate that a
relationship existed between stress levels
and the measured variables.
Based on the ndings, the researchers
recommended that university/college
management teams must take positive
steps to reduce students’ stress to ensure
that they possess good mental health and
are able to perform well in their studies.
They can do this by creating a conducive
learning environment with suitable teaching
and learning methods. In addition, they need
to provide adequate counselling in order to
decrease psychological and social stress. The
researchers also recommend that university/
college management teams should place
a lot of emphasis on ensuring courses are
designed properly. They should also ensure
that student support services are set in place,
students are made aware of potential stress
that can occur in the period of transition
from school to university/college life as well
as that adequate training and workshops are
conducted to help students handle stress.
All these measures will help decrease the
stress faced by students as a result of their
academic pursuits. Further, it is accepted
that there are limitations in this study,
especially in the sample size. Thus, it is
recommended that a similar study be carried
out among a larger sample of respondents to
ensure validity of ndings and to generalise
the findings to the whole population. In
addition, to confirm the present findings
and to enlighten corrective interventions, it
is also necessary for future research to be
carried out incorporating a wider array of
information in terms of sociodemographic,
psychosocial and institutional variables.
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