Educational stress: how are Ukrainian students dealing with it challenges
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17721/BPSY.2025.2(22).7Keywords:
students, educational stress, exam stress, stress factors, stress statesAbstract
Background. This study was intended to draw the attention of researchers and specialists to the need for a comprehensive consideration of the problem of stress in educational activities. The purpose of the study was to study what is the level of stress among modern Ukrainian students and if it has changed in the last 10 years. What is the most common cause of learning stress? What are the manifestations of stress in modern students? How are students coping with stressful situations in their daily lives? Are there any differences in the features of the educational stress of men and women, as well as of students of higher and vocational schools?
Methods. The study uses the technique of educational stress, which is a self-descriptive scale that allows you to identify: the main causes of academic stress; the level of academic stress; manifestations of stress in academic activities; methods for relieving stress; the level and main signs of exam stress. The analysis was performed on a group of 600 students (including 316 university students, 284 students of vocational schools; 283 men and 317 women) aged 15-45 years.
Results. It is found out that for the majority of Ukrainian students the main stressful situations are related to learning activities; least stressful - to group conflicts and cohabitation problems with other students. The level of examination stress of today's students is significantly higher than decades ago; it is significantly higher for university students than for students in vocational schools; for female students it is higher than for male students. The most common manifestations of learning stress are behavioural; the least pronounced are physiological. It has been found that gender and the choice of stress relief are related.
Conclusions. The conclusions is made about the need of organization of specifically targeted psychological work with students having high manifestations of educational and examination stress.
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