Stress is a normal reaction to everyday pressures, but can become unhealthy when it upsets your day-to-day functioning. Stress can also be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. As we know, the Covid 19 pandemic has given us many difficulties, including in the academic.
It causes a lot of students were also experiences stress during that tough time. According to a recent survey by TimelyCare, nearly 70% of college students said they are experiencing emotional distress or anxiety due to the pandemic.
Nearly three out of four students say they are feeling the same or even more stressed than a year ago. Another study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that students’ stress levels increased by 20% during the first year of the pandemic (Connor & Davidson, 2020).
During the quarantine, social isolation and reduced activity intensify procrastination and feelings of worthlessness that may exacerbate anxiety and depression more than before (Fawaz & Samaha, 2021).
Financial barriers can also impede students’ access to technologies that shall be used in order to keep them up with their learning online. Students encountered challenges with distance learning, limited internet access, and language barriers that also can leading to moderate stress levels (Defina & Rizkillah, 2021).
Now, distance learning has been stopped, all learning activities were back to normal. Then, does this stress still occur after the pandemic?
Every year stress among students increases even more. Based on the report from annual Healthy Minds Study, it found that 44% of 96,000 US students reported symptoms of depression in the 2021-2022 academic year.
Another recent studies have shown that rates of depression among students are on the rise. According to a 2021 report from the Center for Collegiate Mental Health, nearly 40% of college students reported feeling stress or hopeless in the past year.
This is up from 34% in 2020 and 27% in 2019. This data shows enough to us how students stress increasing every year. Apart from the factors causing the Covid 19 pandemic, there are many other factors that cause this to happen.
In a number of studies, the most frequently reported factors by students that contributing to stress and anxiety around the examination periods were extensive course loads, lack of physical exercise, and long duration of exams.
It was also demonstrated that parental pressures and teachers’ expectations were associated with stress around the time of examinations or about choosing particular academic study or a future career (Bedewy & Gabriel, 2015).
But there are many things that influence students’ stress level tolerance level, including their support network, sense of control, attitude and outlook, and ability to deal with their emotions (Agnihotri, 2018). Therefore, the level of stress experienced by students depends on how they control these things.
Many surveys show that the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly increased stress among students. However, apart from the cause of the Covid-19 pandemic, stress levels in students also always increase every year.
Factors contributing to ongoing stress include extensive course loads, lack of exercise, and parental and academic pressures. Students’ stress tolerance is influenced by support networks, a sense of control, attitude, and emotional coping abilities.
Overall, the multifaceted nature of student stress, influenced by both pandemic-related and perennial factors that always cause stress among student. Therefore, this stress always occurs the same and isn’t related to the Covid 19 pandemic at all.
Author: Malva Veda Salsabila
Psychology Student, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Editor: Salwa Alifah Yusrina
Bahasa: Rahmat Al Kafi
References
Defina, D., & Rizkillah, R. (2021). Problems, stress, social support, and coping strategies during
the COVID-19 pandemic: Case of international college students in Indonesia. Jurnal Ilmu Keluarga & Konsumen, 14(3), 282-295.
Fawaz, M., & Samaha, A. (2021, January). E‐learning: Depression, anxiety, and stress symptomatology among Lebanese university students during COVID‐19 quarantine. In Nursing forum (Vol. 56, No. 1, pp. 52-57).
Connor, K. M., & Davidson, K. M. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on student stress and mental health: A meta-analysis. Journal of Adolescent Health, 68(1), 1-10.
Bedewy D, Gabriel A. (2015). Examining perceptions of academic stress and its sources among university students: The Perception of Academic Stress Scale. Health Psychology Open ;2(2).
Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH). (2020). Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH) 2020 annual report.
World Health Organization (WHO). (2023). Stress. https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/stress
Agnihotri, A. K. (2018). Stress and students. Lulu. com.
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