Sources of stress among college students
Amina Iftikhar M.Phil Kinnaird College for women Lahore
Abstract:
The present study is conducted to investigate the sources of stress among college students. The hypothesis “determines what sources of stress are the most prevalent among college students, and to examine the nature of these stressors.” The manifest anxiety scale was used to obtain the scores of male and female students. The sample consists of 100 students 50 males and 50 females from different colleges of Lahore. Data was gathered from Queen Mary College Lahore, Kinnaird College Lahore, Forman Christen College Lahore, and Punjab College Lahore. In Western countries the vast amount of researches has been conducted on this issue. More researches are needed to investigate the nature of theses stressors for college students and which stressors are most prevalent in college lives. However these researches are not applicable in Pakistan due to cultural, economic, and educational variations. The main objective of current research work was to study the sources of stress among college students. The research used to determine the major sources of stress among college students and also find out the most prevalent stressor in college life and study the nature of these stressors. The Taylor manifest anxiety scale was used Anxiety scale was originally designed by Taylor (1895-1953). The scale is used to identify subjects with high and low anxiety level. In order to study the affects of drive level on performance in a number of experimental conditions. The scale consisted of 40 potentially stressful situations. The scale addressed interpersonal, intrapersonal, academic, and environmental sources of stress. The results show that academic sources of stress being the most frequently reported source. The top five sources of stress were, decline in personal health (71%) change in major (67%) change in living environment (66%) new responsibilities (66%) waited in long line (62%). The findings from this study may be further used to examine which sources of stress cause the highest levels of stress among college students.

Introduction:
The research was conducted to explore the sources of stress among college students. Researcher able to identify what sources of stress are the most prevalent among college students and to examine the nature of these stressors. There are many specific situations and events have been implicated as stressors for college students. The word stress has many definitions based on various perspectives of human conditions. In Eastern philosophies, stress is considered to be an absence of inner peace. In Western culture, stress can be defined as the loss of control. Psychologically speaking, stress is defined as a state of anxiety produced when events and responsibilities are exceeding from one’s coping abilities. Physiologically stress is defined as the rate of wear and tear on the body. Selye added to this definition stress is the non specific response of the body to any demand place upon it to adopt, whether that demand produce pleasure or pain. Stress is a psychological process initiated by an event that threaten, harm or challenge an organism or that exceed available coping resources. Stress is characterized by psychological responses that are directed toward adaptation. Any internal perception or external stimuli that demand a change in the body are called the stressors. Stress has psychological and physiological responses to events that upset our personal behavior in some way, when face with a threat, whether to our physical safety or emotional equilibrium, the body’s defenses kick into high and rapid, automatic process known as Flight-Fight response.
Types of stressors
Situations, circumstances, or any stimulus that is perceived to be a threat is referred to as a stressor, or that which cause or promote stress. As you might imagine, the list of stressors is not only endless but varies considerably from person to person. Actual stress is often the result of rapid onset stressors. The nature of stressors currently divided into three categories, biologically, psycho interpersonal, and social.
Biological influences:
There are many biological and ecological factors that may trigger the stress response in varying degrees, some of which are outside of our awareness. There are external influences, including sunlight, gravitational pull, solar flares, and electromagnetic fields, those effects our biological rhythmus.
Circadian rhythmus: fluctuations in physiological functions over the course of a twenty-four-hour period.
Ultradian rhythms: fluctuations that occur over less than a twenty-four-hour period.
Infradian rhythms: changes that occur in periods longer than twenty-four-hour period.

Psycho interpersonal influences:
Psycho interpersonal influences make up the greatest percentage of stressors. These are the perceptions of stimuli that we create through our own mental processes. Psycho interpersonal stressors involve those thoughts, values, beliefs, attitudes, opinions, and perceptions that we use to define our identity or ego.
Social influence:
Social influence has long been the subject of research to explain the individuals who are unable to cope with their given environment. This includes humans, who likewise being to show signs of frustration in crowded urban areas, traffic jams, long lines at check out stand, and whenever their personal space is “invaded”. Additional social influences cause of stress includes financial insecurity, the effects of relocation, some technological advances, violation of human rights, and low socio-economic status, to name but a few.
Adaptation to stress
Response to stress includes adaptation, psychological coping such as stress management, anxiety, and depression. Over the long term, distress can lead to diminished health or illness, to avoid this stress must be managed.
General adaptation syndrome
This is a model on stress, researched mainly by Hans Sely on rats and other animals. His research involved exposing animals to unpleasant or harmful stimuli such as injections, extreme cold and even vivisection.
He found that all animals showed a very similar series of reactions, broken into three stages. He describes this universal response to the stressors as a General Adaptation Syndrome.

Alarm: When the threat or stressor is identified or realized, the body’s response is a state of alarm. During this stage adrenaline will be produced in order to being about the flight-or-fight response. There is also some activation of HPA axis, producing cortisol.
Resistance:
If the stressor persists, it becomes necessary to attempt some means of coping with stress. Although the body begins to try to adapt to the strains or demands of the environment, the body can not keep this up indefinitely, so it resources are gradually depleted.
Exhaustion:
In the final stage in the GAS model, all the body resources are eventually depleted and the body is unable to maintain normal function. At this point the initial autonomic nervous system symptoms may appear (sweating, increased heart rate, etc). if stage three is extended, long term damage may result as the capacity of glands, especially the adrenal gland, and the immune system is exhausted and function is impaired resulting in decompensation. The result can manifest itself in obvious illness such as ulcer, depression, or even cardiovascular problems, along with other mental illnesses.
Neuro-chemistry and physiology
The Neurochemistry of the general adaptation syndrome is now believed to be well understood, although much remains to be discovered about how this system interacts with others in the brain and elsewhere in the body.
The body reacts to stress first by releasing the catecholamine, and the glucocorticoid hormones, and cortisol. Stress activated the sympathetic branch of autonomous nervous system and produced the flight-fight response, causing the body to divert blood flow to large muscles as the body prepares to run away from or fight something. Less blood flow to the digestive system and other organs that that do not assist in feelings or fighting, producing dry mouth, motor agitation, sweating, enlarge pupil and over the long term, insomnia.
The hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPA) is a major part of the neuroendocrine system, involving the interaction of the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal gland. The HPA axis is believed to play a primary role in the body’s reactions to stress by the balancing the hormone releases from the adrenaline and nor adrenaline producing adrenal medulla, and from the corticosteroid producing adrenal cortex. Stress can significantly affect many of the body’s immune systems, as can an individual’s perceptions of and reaction of stress.
Sources of stress among college students
What make the college experience a significant departure from the first eighteen years of life is the realization that with the freedom of the life style choice come the responsibilities that go with it. Most common stressors that college students encounter are,
Roommate dynamics: someone who is compatible is not always easy, especially if you had your own room in your parent’s house. Roommate dynamics involve the skills of compromise and diplomacy under the best and worst conditions. However, their time schedule and yours may not always be the same.
Professional purpose: it is a well known fact that college students can change majors several times in their college careers and many do. The problem is compounded when there is parental pressure to move toward a specific career path or the desire to your parents by picking a major that they like but you don’t like.
Academic deadlines (exams, papers, and project): Academics mean taking midterms and finals, writing papers, and completing projects. This is after all, the hallmark of measuring what they have learned. A typical semester of fifteen to twenty credits, many course deadlines can fall on the same day, and there is the ever present danger that not meeting expectation can result in poor grades or academic probation.
Financial aid and college loan: they have stood in the financial aid office during the first week of college. They could write a book on the topic of stress. The cost of a college education is skyrocketing; the pressure to pay off college loans after graduation can make them feel like an independent servant.
Budgeting their money: its one thing to ask your parents to buy some new clothes or have them pick up check at a restaurant. It’s quite another when you start paying all your own bills. Learning to budget their money is a skill that takes practice.
Life style behavior: the freedom to stay up till 2A.M on a weekday, skip a class, eat nothing buy junk food, and stress enters their life with a vengeance when freedom and responsibility are not balanced.
Peer group and peer pressure (drugs and alcohol): there is a great need to feel accepted by new acquaintances in college, and this need often leads to succumbing to peer pressure and in new environments with new acquaintances, peer pressure can be very strong. Stress arises when the actions of the group are incongruent with their own philosophies and values.
Friendship: the friendship made in college take on a special quality, as they grow, mature, and redefine their values, their friends, will change, and so will the quality of each friendship.
Intimate relationship: spending time with one special person with whom you can grow in love is special indeed. If and when the relationship ends, the aftershock can be traumatic for or both parties, leaving little desire for one’s academic pursuits.
Starting a professional career path: it’s a myth that you can start a job making the same salary that your parents make, but many college students believe this to be true. With this myth comes the pressure to equal the one’s parents the day after graduation.
Occupational stress: stress doesn’t end with college exams. It seems to continue and perhaps increase as one continues on a career path.
Factors causing stress among college graduates
There are four major factors that will be sources of stress among college students these are,
Interpersonal:
Changing in social activity, Roommate conflict, Work with people you don’t know, Fight with boy/girl friend, new boy/girl friend, Trouble with parents.
Intrapersonal:
Change in sleeping habit, Change in eating habit, New responsibilities, Held a job, Spoke in public, Change in health conditions, Started college, Decline in personal health, Miner law violation, Worry condition, Death of a family member, Sever injury.
Academic:
Increased class work, Lower grade then expected, Change of major, Search for graduate school, missed too many classes, Anticipation of graduation, serious arguments with instructor, transferred school.
Environmental:
Vocations/breaks, Waited in long line, Computer problem, Placed unfamiliar situations, Messy living conditions, Change in living environment, Transport problem, Divorce between parents.

Coping strategies When we encounter a situation or event we perceive as a stressor, some part of us feels very vulnerable and threatened. For the most part, the expression.
Coping responses: unlike defense mechanism, has a positive connotation, suggestion that a positive out come is likely.
The word coping as defines by stress scholar Richard Lazarus is “the process or managing demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the individual’s resources”. He went on to add that coping consists of both cognitive and action-orientation (behavioral) efforts. Managing process involves several important criteria, including some or all of the following, an increase awareness process of self awareness, the situation, and the environment, emotional regulation process he referred to a palliative coping, and quite, often a series of behavioral changes, referred to as instrumental coping, which accompany this awareness and cognitive processes. Lazarus be part of this mind frame is a personality trait, self efficacy, a term coined by a psychologist Albert Bandura, describe assess to several inner resources including self-confidence, faith, will power and self-effective ones.
These coping responses fall into one of two categories, action-oriented, such as time management, and assertive behavior. The responses used to cope with stress can be derived internally or eternally. Inner resources includes, among other things, willpower, faith and sense of optimism, humor, creativity, sense of reason, self efficacy, etc. external resources would include time, money, and social support from friends and family.
Additional coping techniques: according to several psychologists, just as there are many shells on the beach, there are hundreds of coping techniques. Some fall not but are every bit as important in their function and outcome. Some additional coping techniques that are often used to deal with stress effectively.
Information seeking: lack of information allows the mind to fill in missing pieces with hypothetical facts or worst-case scenarios. This often perpetuates the stress response. To conquer fear of the unknown, gathering information about a specific circumstances become on of the best defense against stressors. Information seeking involves collecting and processing facts about a stressful event or situation, which can then be help, solve the problem and regain emotional stability.
Social engineering: perhaps the most common response to events or circumstances that elicit the stress response in avoidance. Avoidance is a defense mechanism deeply rooted in the ancient flight response. It is popularly believed that if we avoid situations that cause fear or frustration, our lives will become simple and stress free. Social engineering is a positive coping style designed to help minimize stress by following a path of least resistance, but not avoidance.
Social support groups: there is an old proverb suggesting that misery loves company. This closes not mean that we wish our troubles on others, nor does it mean we are happy to see others encounter the same problems we faced ourselves. Rather, it means that when two or more people experience a problem of the emotional burden seems to be shared, is more bearable, and is consequently not as heavy a load as a solo attempt at working against the odds.
Hobbies: perhaps while psychologists and stress, management counselors caution against the hazards of avoidance, the practice of diversion has often been advocated as a bona fide coping strategy.
Forgiveness: every stress generated by anger that results in feelings of victimization is a prime candidate for forgiveness. Forgiveness is a cognitive process, and while it might seem to fall in the domain of cognitive restructuring its significance as a process merits separate recognition.

Purpose of study
In Western countries vast amount of researches has been conducted on this issue. More researches are needed to investigate the nature of theses stressors for college students and which stressors are most prevalent in college lives. However these researches are not applicable in Pakistan due to cultural, economic, and educational variations. The main objective of current research work was to study the sources of stress among college students.
Relevant literature
College students, especially freshmen, are a group particularly prone to stress (D'Zurilla & Sheedy, 1991) due to the transitional nature of college life (Towbes & Cohen, 1996). They must adjust to being away from home for the first time, maintain a high level of academic achievement, and adjust to a new social environment. College students, regardless of year in school, often deal with pressures related to finding a job or a potential life partner. These stressors do not cause anxiety or tension by themselves. Instead, stress results from the interaction between stressors and the individual's perception and reaction to those stressors (Romano, 1992). The amount of stress experienced may be influenced by the individual's ability to effectively cope with stressful events and situations (D'Zurilla & Sheedy, 1991). If stress is not dealt with effectively, feelings of loneliness and nervousness, as well as sleeplessness and excessive worrying may result (Wright, 1967). It is important that stress intervention programs be designed to address stress of college students. However, in order to design an effective intervention, the stressors specific to college students must be determined (Wright, 1967). Many studies have attempted to determine the major sources of stress among college students. The 1999 Student Stress Survey identified daily struggles, as opposed to major occurrences in life, as accounting for greater stress among students. It also found some of the more prevalent stressors to be changes in sleeping or eating patterns, increased workloads, vacations, and new responsibilities (Ross, Niebling, & Heckart, 1999). The dynamic relationship between the person and environment in stress perception and reaction is especially magnified in college students. The problems and situations encountered by college students may differ from those faced by their nonstudent peers (Hirsch & Ellis, 1996). The environment in which college students live is quite different. While jobs outside of the university setting involve their own sources of stress, such as evaluation by superiors and striving for goals, the continuous evaluation that college students are subjected to, such as weekly tests and papers, is one which is not often seen by non-students (Wright, 1964). The pressure to earn good grades and to earn a degree is very high (Hirsch & Ellis, 1996). Earning high grades is not the only source of stress for college students. Other potential sources of stress include excessive homework, unclear assignments, and uncomfortable classrooms (Kohn & Frazer, 1986). In addition to academic requirements, relations with faculty members and time pressures may also be sources of stress (Sgan-Cohen & Lowental, 1988). Relationships with family and friends, eating and sleeping habits, and loneliness may affect some students adversely (Wright, 1967). Ginsberg (2006) found a similarly unhealthy relationship between stress and sleeping habits, reported in the study “Academic Worry as a Predictor of Sleep Disturbance in College Students.” In this study, students were assessed on the Academic Stress Scale, the Sleep Disturbance Ascribed to Worry Scale, and on usual lengths of sleep periods. The Academic Stress Scale was developed by the degree of participant stress in response to physical, psychological, and psychosocial factors, while the Sleep Disturbance Ascribed to Worry Scale is an efficient method of identifying the extent of sleep disturbance based on participant rankings of five items pertaining to worry and sleeping patterns. Based on these scales, the participants in the study exhibited a negative relationship between academic stress and length of sleep (Ginsberg, 2006). Previous researchers have investigated the effect of particular stressors on specific healthy behaviors. Healthy behaviors can be defined as those actions taken to avoid disease and illness and to maintain or prompt good health (Farlex, 2009). Increased stress has been identified as a predictor of unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, drinking, eating poorly, infrequent exercising, and obtaining inadequate amounts of sleep (Von Ah, Ebert, & Ngamvitroj, 2004). Kandiah, Yale, & Jones (2006).
Methodology:
The sample consists of 100 students from different colleges, 50 male students and 50 female students. The data was collected from Queen Mary College Lahore, Kinnaird College Lahore, Forman Christen College Lahore, and Punjab College Lahore. The sample is gathered through purposive and accidental sampling techniques. The research tool is Manifest Anxiety Scale.
Manifest Anxiety Scale (MAS):
Anxiety scale was originally designed by Taylor (1895-1953). The scale is used to identify subjects with high and low anxiety level. In order to study the affects of drive level on performance in a number of experimental conditions. Five clinicians were given definition of manifest anxiety scale and were asked to designate item from the original MMPI items that is indicative manifest anxiety
Although subsequent revisions in MAS have taken place including attempts to simplify the vocabulary and sustenance structure of 50 anxiety items. Although Taylor (1953) cautioned against scoring MAS from standard MMPI administration because of differences in buffer items, the scale typically is scoring in this manner.
. The test consists of 50 items. Hilgard, Joves, and Kaplan (1951) reported a split half reliability coefficient of .92 for the MAS and Gocka(1965) obtained a Kuder-Richardson 21 (internal consistency)value of .92 to .220. Taylor using a sample of college students obtained test result reliability coefficient of .89, .87, and .81 over period of three weeks 5 months and 7 to 9 months repeatedly.
Procedure
Researcher will select the topic of research ‘sources of stress among college student’ will use manifest anxiety scale for checking the responses of stress among college students from male and female population. So according to hypothesis researcher will determine what sources of stress will the most prevalent among college student, and will examine the nature of those stressors.
Researcher will select sample sine100 and will divide it into two groups as male and female students.
Researcher will check each item the student experienced during college life. The data will collect through the purposive and convenient sampling techniques.
An English version of MAS will use for research tool. The responses will elicit on 2 point scale for the assessment. Researcher will convey that without their cooperation it will difficult for researcher to finish this work.
Results
The results of the study determine the sources of stress that are the most prevalent among college students and examine the nature of these stressors.
Categories of sources of stress Interpersonal
S.NO Interpersonal sources of stress total
1 Fight with boy/girl friend 57
2 New boy/girl friend 53
3 Roommate conflict 53
4 Work with people you don’t know 52
5 Change in social activities 50
6 Trouble with parents 33
Percentage = 298/600*100
= 49%
Category of interpersonal sources of stress indicates the stress result from interactions with other people such as fight with boy/girl friend or trouble with parents. Relationship with family and friend may affect some students adversely in this category fight with boy/girl friend most common source of the stress. 57% of this stress was reported. The least frequently stress is the trouble with parents 33%.

Intrapersonal
S.NO Intrapersonal sources of stress total
1 Decline in personal health 71
2 New responsibilities 66
3 Spoken in public 65
4 Outstanding personal achievement 64
5 marries 61
6 Held a job 58
7 Heath of a family member 55
8 Worry conditions 53
9 Change in sleeping habits 53
10 Sever injury 48
11 Minor violation 42
12 Financial differences 42
13 Started work 41
14 Death of a friend 39
15 Change in health conditions 37
16 Change in eating habits 30

Percentage = 825/1600*100 = 51%
In this category of intrapersonal sources of stress, 16 items represented intrapersonal sources of stress. Intrapersonal sources of stress result from internal sources such as decline in personal health, new responsibilities. With these stressor the stress enter in their life when freedom and responsibilities are not balanced, in this category the decline in personal health was the most prevalent or common source of stress 71% of this stress is reported. The least frequently reported stress was change in eating habits 30%.
Academic
S.NO Academic sources of stress total
1 Change in major 67
2 Anticipation of graduation 62
3 Increase class work 54
4 Lower grade than anticipated 57
5 Missed too many classes 57
6 Serious arguments with instructor 48
7 Search for job 45
8 Transfer of school 42
Percentage = 423/800*100 = 54%
In this category represented academic sources of stress. An academic source arises from college related activities and issues such as change of major, anticipation of graduation and increased class workload. Earning high grades was not the only source of stress for college students other potential sources which includes change of major, excessive workload, and uncomfortable classrooms. The change of major was the most common source of stress reported 67%. The least frequently stress was transferred of school which was 42%. Environmental

S.NO Environmental causes of stress total
1 Change in living environment 66
2 Waiting in long line 63
3 Transport problems 62
4 Computer problems 53
5 Messy living conditions 49
6 Quit job 49
7 Place in unfamiliar situations 45
8 Vocations/breaks 44
9 Put on bold for extended periods of time 43
10 Divorce between parents 0
Percentage = 474/100*100 = 47%
In this category 10 items represented the environmental sources of stress. Environmental sources of stress indicated in which college students’ life was quite difficult. The most common source was change in living environment was 66%. The least frequently stress was divorced between parents 0%.
Discussion
In, our sample Academic sources of stress were the most common source of stress. The five most frequent stressors were in order decline in personal health, (71%) change in major (67%) change in living environment (66%) new responsibilities (66%) waited in long line (62%) increased class work (57%) transport problem (63%spoken in public (65%) outstanding achievement (64%) were also frequent reported stressors. The five least frequently reported stressors were change in eating habits (30%) trouble with parents (33%) divorce between parents (0%) transferred of school (42%).
This study represents a first step in understanding sources of stress for college students. We were able to identify which sources of stress occur in the lives of these students. Additionally, research should expand on these findings by determining the degree of stress resulting from each source. Such research would permit conclusions on which stressors are most detrimental or serve and which stressor has negligible effects.
Another important factor to consider when studying stress is to explore which sources or stress are motivating and beneficial and which sources of stress are detrimental. It has been established that moderate amounts of stress help motivate students and at times increase student’s performance. The problem and situation encountered by college students may differ from those faced by non student peers. The environment in which the college student lives is quite different.
In conclusion results are suggestive as the necessary components of stress management program specific to the needs of college students. Furthermore, students should be informed to the campus resources available to help them address these resources. A better approach may be the use of a stress management workshop, specifically geared to the stressors encountered by college students.