Social Reserch Foundation

P: ISSN No. 2231-0045	RNI No. UPBIL/2012/55438	VOL.- XI , ISSUE- III February - 2023
E: ISSN No. 2349-9435	Periodic Research

Evaluation of Stress Level During Pandemic Period Using PSS

Paper Id : 17128 Submission Date : 2023-02-06 Acceptance Date : 2023-02-16 Publication Date : 2023-02-25
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Ayesha Siddiqua
Assistant Professor
P.G. Department Of Zoology
Mata Gujri Mahila Mahavidyalaya (Auto.)
Jabalpur,Madhya Pradesh, India,

Manjusha Pouranik
Associate Professor
P.G. Department Of Zoology
Mata Gujri Mahila Mahavidyalaya(Auto.)
Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India

Sangeeta Sarkhel
Assistant Professor
P.G. Department Of Zoology
Mata Gujri Mahila Mahavidyalaya(Auto.)
Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

In today’s date stress has been an integral part of life because there are many things which act as a stress catalyst. Covid-19 has caused significant distress around the globe. It is not limited to adults only, but stress is increasingly affecting people of all age groups. Several factors might lead to stress in a student's life, especially when it comes to other students. Youngsters generally overlook their eating habits as a result of which they are more prone to stress. In addition to that the other reason for stress is insufficient sleep which may be a common cause for stress in students all across the world. Stress management among students is a hit-or-miss matter. An attempt to know the impact of stress among students is done through this paper for the necessity of managing it in order to make the learning effective. The online survey has been conducted during the pandemic period. Randomly drawn participants (N=213) completed the questionnaire to assess the stress level. Subjects were given the Perceived stress scale questionnaire and were asked to answer the Questionnaire that has 10 questions. The most popular psychological tool for assessing stress perception is the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).. With respect to the academic stress component, the present findings delineate that the majority of the participants have moderate academic stress.

Keywords

Covid-19, Distress, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Moderate, High.

Introduction

It is commonly known that college students are more likely than the general population to feel lonely and to suffer from anxiety and depression at higher rates. During this period of social isolation, uncertainty and abrupt transitions, people of all age groups are prone to further worsening of these feelings. Removal from their social support system and extracurricular activities at their institute and workplace can cause students respectively to feel less connected with their friends, organizations, and hobbies. In addition, they are facing uncertainty about their future, their own health, and the health of their friends and loved ones. Because they constantly worry about the future and feel out of control, their current condition is stressful and anxiety-inducing, making them especially vulnerable to developing mental health concerns. To understand and evaluate the stress level of college going students an online survey has been conducted during the pandemic period (one month). Students of higher education institutes of Jabalpur participated in this questionnaire survey. Informed consent was taken from all participants. Randomly drawn participants (N=213) completed the questionnaire to assess the stress level. Stress score was assessed with the perceived stress scale (PSS) questionnaire, the most widely used psychological instrument for measuring the perception of stress. It is a gauge of how stressful a person perceives their life's circumstances to be. Items are designed to emanate how unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded respondents find their lives. The items are easy to understand, and the response alternatives are simple to grasp. Moreover, the questions are of a general nature and hence are relatively free of content specific to any subpopulation group. The questions in the PSS ask about feelings and thoughts during the last month. In each case, respondents are asked how often they felt a certain way.

Objective of study

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of life stress on college students. An attempt to know the impact of stress among students through PSS scale is done through this paper for the necessity of managing it in order to make the learning effective.

Review of Literature

Teaching and learning is an essential task that is to be carried despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The closure of educational institutions, the espousal of remote online education, and other factors including technological illiteracy (Fernandez et.al. 2018) and increased psychosocial and educational demands, had a potential toll on student’s mental health.

It is well studied that college students are especially prone to feelings of loneliness, and they experience higher rates of anxiety and depression compared to the general population. During this period of social isolation, uncertainty and abrupt transitions, people of all age groups are prone to further worsening of these feelings. Removal from their social support system and extracurricular activities at their institute and workplace can cause students respectively to feel less connected with their friends, organizations, and hobbies. In addition, they are facing uncertainty about their future, their own health, and the health of their friends and loved ones. The situation they are living through is stressful and anxiety provoking, as there is a constant fear of the unknown in addition to a loss of control, making them especially vulnerable to developing mental health concerns.

We have to understand that a pandemic is not just a medical condition, it affects the population in social, emotional and psychological ways also. Due to this pandemic outbreak, a lot of students developed psychological problems that are affecting learner’s not only academics but all over personality (WHO, 2020). The country switched its in person educational system to virtual learning, closing public places of aggregation and invoking travel bans. Students feel isolated as they get cut off by meeting their friends and performing their daily routine. Students mostly experienced fear, sadness, numbness, insomnia, confusion, anger, post-traumatic stress symptoms, depressive symptoms, low mood, stress, emotional disturbance, irritability and emotional exhaustion. Some evidence proves that these consequences can be for a longer term also (Brooks et. al. 2020).

Methodology

The online survey has been conducted during the pandemic period in the month of July 2021. Students of higher education institutes of Jabalpur participated in this questionnaire survey. Informed consent was taken from all participants. Life stress levels for last year were determined using a self-administered life stress questionnaire as an online Google form with 213 respondents. Further it was divided into 2 subgroups by minimum and maximum scores distribution based on total life stress scores. Randomly drawn participants (N=213) completed the questionnaire to assess the stress level. Subjects with BMI ranging between 18-28, were given the Perceived stress scale questionnaire (Cohen S. 1994) and were asked to answer the Questionnaire that has 10 questions., The answers are graded on a 5-point Likert Scale ranging from never=0, almost never = 1, sometimes = 2, fairly often = 3, to very often = 4, Positively framed questions 4, 5, 7, and 8 are reverse scored, that is never = 4 to very often = 0. PSS scores are obtained by reversing responses (e.g., 0 = 4, 1 = 3, 2 = 2, 3 = 1 & 4 = 0) to the four positively stated items (items 4, 5, 7, & 8) and then summing across all scale items with Higher scores indicating more perceived stress. Scores range is 0-40, illustrating scores of 0-13 as Low stress, 14-26 Moderate stress and 27-40 as High perceived stress. . PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (Sheldon Cohen 1994)- The most popular psychological tool for assessing stress perception is the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Scoring: To calculate PSS scores, replies to the four affirmatively stated items (items 4, 5, 7, and 8) are reversed (e.g., 0 = 4, 1 = 3, 2 = 2, 3 = 1, and 4 = 0), and all scale items are then added together. Questions 2, 4, 5, and 10 of the PSS 10-item scale can be combined to create a short 4-item scale. Questionnaire for Perceived Stress Scale (PSS, Sheldon Cohen 1994) 1. In the last month, how often have you been upset because of something that happened unexpectedly? 2. In the last month, how often have you felt that you were unable to control the important things in your life? 3. In the last month, how often have you felt nervous and “stressed”. 4. How often have you felt confident about your ability to handle your personal problems? 5. How often have you felt that things were going your way? 6. How often have you found that you could not cope with all the things that you had to do? 7. How often have you been able to control irritations in your life? 8. How often have you felt that you were on top of things? 9. How often have you been angered because of things that were outside of your control? 10. How often have you felt difficulties were piling up so high that you could not overcome them?

Tools Used

Questionnaires (PSS Scale)

Statistics Used in the Study

ANOVA

Analysis

Cronbach's alpha is a coefficient of reliability and is the most common measure of internal consistency ("reliability") that is, how closely related a set of items are as a group (Cronbach, L. J. (1978). It is regarded as a gauge of scale dependability. It is most frequently applied when a scale made up of several Likert questions in a survey or questionnaire needs to be tested for reliability. The collected data was entered and analyzed by using data analysis through M S excel for reliability.

A rule of thumb for interpreting alpha for Likert scale questions followed is:

Result and Discussion

The study was done to assess the stress level during the pandemic period among students. The mean PSS score for students was 22 & 25, for maximum and minimum values of responses respectively . The result is tabulated and represented in table 1.1 and the response graph as fig 1. The level of perceived stress was in the moderate range for the students and it was observed that P.G students experienced more stress than U. G. students. The level of perceived stress was low for UG among students.
College students comprise a population that is considered particularly vulnerable to mental health concerns. The results of this study highlight the impact of transformations associated to the pandemic on this particular population's mental health and wellbeing.
While it can manifest differently for each individual, it is noted that everyone feels stress at some point in their lives, regardless of age, gender, or circumstances (Currie et. al. 2016). But, students who are overly anxious cannot properly study (Gale et.al. 2018). It's critical to distinguish between stress that helps kids study and stress that interferes with productive learning.
Studies on stress levels within the UK student group showed that accurate measurement and conceptualization of perceived stress is vital because high stress levels are associated with a range of negative outcomes, including depression (Zhang et. al. 2015), suicidal ideation (Abdollahi et. al. 2015), and lower subjective well being (Denovan and Macaskill 2016). In the present study moderate level of stress is observed so we can say conditions are alarming but not exhausting.
Problems appear particularly acute within students below the age of 22 because they are undertaking the transition to adulthood (Macaskill 2013). Our findings contradict the above results as our students at postgraduate levels are under more stress as compared to undergraduate students.
By conducting an online survey in the midst of the pandemic, we found that a majority of the participants were experiencing moderate stress and anxiety due to COVID-19. Further, several studies have reported that mental health issues among college students can heighten the risk of drop-out, lower academic achievement, and lower study satisfaction (Litmanen et. al. 2014, Stallman 2010). In our studies it is observed that pandemic conditions are lower study satisfaction that may be the cause of mental stress. Roberti, Harrington, and Storch (2006) suggested that College Counseling services play a major role in providing appropriate mental health support.
Recent study by Fang et.al. (2022) showed a significant increase in the prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress, and fear symptoms in the student population during the COVID-19 epidemic. These findings are in line with those of other studies carried out from the beginning of the pandemic showing that during lockdown, anxiety (Huang and Zhao 2020), and other psychological and physical symptoms were found elevated. (UNESCO., 2020b)
In our study it was observed that psychological stress was more pronounced in postgraduate students than undergraduate students. Similar findings were noted by Fang et.al. (2022) that stress was more pronounced in female students, undergraduate students, graduate students, and non-medical students.
Depression, anxiety, stress and fear feelings experienced by the pupils during Covid-19 pandemic have been found to be a negative predictor of subjective well-being (Gundogan, S.2022.) Our findings also suggest a considerable negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on financial and family values. The results of a recent pre-COVID-19 survey n the United Kingdom (mean PSS score 19.79, SD 6.37) support this.. These findings suggest that a series of effective measures should be taken by individuals, families, schools, society, and government to target and alleviate the psychological stress reactions of the student population and to provide mental health service protection to them.
Reliability test was also performed for the data of the questionnaire provided for the survey. The values are represented in table 1.2. Anova: Two-Factor values are presented in table 2.1 & 2.2. Cornbach’s alpha value 0.99985, was calculated with the obtained data. On the basis of the thumb rule for interpreting data for Likert scale, the value for Cornbach’s alpha 0.99985 falls under excellent consistency.
The results of this study are based on the students' self-reported data, thus there is a chance that reporting bias may have occurred due to a range in the students' comprehension of the study's questions.
Table 1.1 - Students Response

Ques/Scale

0

1

2

3

4

1

19.7

23.6

31.5

10.8

14.3

2

20.3

27.2

23.8

15.3

30.4

3

18.7

20.2

24.6

19.2

17.2

4

13.8

22.7

18.7

27.6

17.2

5

26.6

22.7

23.2

15.8

11.8

6

23.6

25.1

28.6

14.3

8.4

7

19.7

22.7

23.2

19.7

14.8

8

24.6

27.6

20.7

18.2

8.9

9

23.2

18.7

24.6

15.3

18.2

10

27.6

21.7

25.6

13.8

11.3

Scale 0-never, 1-almost never, 2- sometimes, 3- fairly often, and 4- very often
PSS - Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) Score = 22 for maximum value
Interpretation: Moderate stress
0-13: Low stress | 14-26: Moderate stress | 27-40: High perceived stress
Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) Score = 25 for minimum value
Interpretation: Moderate stress (towards high)
Table 1.2 Reliability Test- For Students Responses

Ques/Scale

0

1

2

3

4

1

43

50

69

24

31

2

45

58

50

33

30

3

42

41

54

43

37

4

39

59

44

47

28

5

25

33

52

50

57

6

50

53

63

33

18

7

34

43

51

49

40

8

20

38

48

60

51

9

49

40

53

35

40

10

61

45

53

31

27

Table 2.1 Anova: Two-Factor without Replication Students Response

SUMMARY

Count

Sum

Average

Variance

Row 1

5

217

43.4

307.3

Row 2

5

216

43.2

136.7

Row 3

5

217

43.4

40.3

Row 4

5

217

43.4

128.3

Row 5

5

217

43.4

187.3

Row 6

5

217

43.4

318.3

Row 7

5

217

43.4

47.3

Row 8

5

217

43.4

232.8

Row 9

5

217

43.4

54.3

Row 10

5

217

43.4

206.8

Column 1

10

408

40.8

146.1778

Column 2

10

460

46

75.77778

Column 3

10

537

53.7

52.45556

Column 4

10

405

40.5

121.8333

Column 5

10

359

35.9

136.5444

Table 2.2 ANOVA Students Response

Source of Variation

SS

df

MS

F

P-value

F crit

Rows

0.18

9

0.02

0.00015

1

2.152607

Columns

1842.68

4

460.67

3.458685

0.017211

2.633532

Error

4794.92

36

133.1922

Total

6637.78

49

Cronbach's alpha value : 0.99985
Fig: 1. Students Response Graph for 10 questions and Scale (0-4) represented as Series 1-5

Findings

In our study it was observed that psychological stress was more pronounced in postgraduate students than undergraduate students.Our findings also suggest a considerable negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on financial and family values. In our studies it is observed that pandemic conditions are lower study satisfaction that may be the cause of mental stress.

Conclusion

Practically, the study may also guide college communities to take concrete steps towards the improvement of the learning environment and subsequently mitigating the adverse impact of stress on student’s wellbeing and learning outcomes. The start of the new academic year in 2020–2021 was marked by psychological discomfort among students and members of the teaching community.. Teaching techniques and college environments should be adapted to the needs of the students and teachers (Yasmin et. al. 2020). Therefore, if we want this education to be of a high standard, then we must protect the psychological well-being of the people who provide it.

Limitation of the Study

The findings of this study are based on the self reported information which was provided by the students and some potential for reporting bias may have occurred, as the ability of the students to understand the questions may have varied

References

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