Stress and the Contemporary Student

Abstract

Is contemporary student life stressful? And if so, what factors are associated with stress among students? This paper attempts to provide answers to these questions in reporting a research project that explored physical and mental health among students studying at Newcastle University in 1995. Forty-nine per cent of a stratified random sample of students (956 students) completed a postal questionnaire which, as well as addressing questions of health, covered numerous aspects of student living conditions and lifestyle. Stress was measured by the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, which was converted into a 36-point scale. The analysis identifies various factors that were associated with stress, and culminates in the construction of a multi-variate model that explains 25 per cent of the variance in student stress. The findings are discussed within the context of the changing nature of higher education in Britain.

Earning and learning: how term-time employment impacts on students' adjustment to university life

“…In most studies using a transactional framework, outcomes are couched in negative terms, particularly in relation to anxiety and depression (e.g. Lustman et al, 1984;Humphrey et al, 1998), although 'satisfaction' is sometimes included, and particularly in relation to occupational stress (Winefield, 1993). We would suggest that both positive and negative outcomes, and the interaction or balance between them, should be considered in this theoretical framework.…”

“…What impact combined role demands or stressors have for those who have to manage multiple roles of full-time education and term-time employment clearly needs to be explored further, taking account of the negative and positive contributions towards students' psychological well-being at different career stages (Humphrey et al, 1998;…”

“…The past two decades have seen an increase in student numbers as UK higher education has moved from an élite to a mass system (Lucas, 1997;Parry, 1997;Hakim, 1998;Humphrey et al, 1998;Smith & Taylor, 1999). While 10% of the population went to university in the 1970s, this figure has trebled to over 30%, and the government currently aims to increase numbers whereby 50% of school-leavers will eventually go on to higher education.…”

“…At the beginning of the 1990s, top-up loans were introduced and grants decreased. These changes in funding arrangements, together with the freezing of maintenance grants, the introduction of the loans system, and students becoming ineligible for income support and housing and unemployment benefit meant that more students than before experienced financial hardship (Humphrey et al, 1998).…”

Sharing and borrowing prescription medication: a survey of Irish college students

“…Released from the oversight of parents, but not yet immersed in adult roles, 18-to 25-year olds tend to engage in activities exploring alternatives more intensely than they did as teenagers [6]. This is a time for experimentation [7][8][9], it is also a pressurised timesocially, financially and academically [10,11]. In a recent review of the literature, researchers identified levels of prescription stimulant use amongst American undergraduates to range between 1.5 and 31%, most commonly as a study tool to improve attention [12].…”