Causes of Perceived Stress on University Students - Lab Report Example

Causes of Perceived Stress on al affiliation For does perceived stress come from the levels of happiness, sociability, friendliness and trust Reports indicate that the levels of stress have been increasing steadily in the 21st century. With the world gradually warming up to various challenges in life such as unemployment, declining standards of living and unprecedented pursuit for personal monetary gains, traditional values such as happiness, socialization, friendliness, and trust are slowly being washed down the drain pipe. Nevertheless, despite the increase in the levels of persons (university students) suffering from stress related ailments, limited literature and ongoing studies exists to highlight the causal factors of perceived stress. The report analyzes the interrelationship between the levels of perceived stress for university students and the levels of happiness, trust, friendliness and trust. Adopting a survey design in the study, the researcher carried out a multi regression analysis to determine the variability in the perceived levels of stress. The study selected 67 respondents between the ages of 18 to 35 years. Using online surveys, the respondents were to fill out questionnaires calibrated with a 5-Likert scale with their feeling regarding the provided questions. Using SPSS software, the study analyzed the data collected. Each variable showed varied results in the extent to which they affected stress. Among the four tested variables, only happiness produced significant results while all the four variables explained 45.6 percent of the variability in the perceived stress. The findings show that perceived stress is a product of happiness, such that an inverse relationship exists between the two variables. Introduction Stress is a typical, necessary an unavoidable life occurrence that can generate temporary discomfort coupled with long-term impacts. Various scientific studies prescribe to the point that personality plays a vital role in the identification of stress events (Horiuchi, et al., 2013). Facts also indicate that perceived stress relies on the extent of congruence between persons and the environment, such that people experience stress when placed in threatening environments. A disturbing trend in university students’ health is the increase in student stress globally. Among the most viable stressors affecting students are academic related issues, finances, time constraints and self-imposed aspects. Nevertheless, the stressors are all vehicles through which the actual drivers of stress are embedded (Marcus, & Baehrisch, 2013). In line with the disturbing reports, the study sought to establish how perceived stress relates to changes in the level of happiness, trust, sociability and friendliness. Studies show that a significant amount of persons opine that the levels of trust, happiness, friendliness and sociability are the principal determinants of stress across populations (Marcus, & Baehrisch, 2013). Of interest nevertheless, is the inverse relationship between personality and perceived stress. For instance, a section of studies argues that the existence of friendly ties between colleagues within a kind space is effective in fostering positive emotions (Page-Gould, et al., 2014). Such that, job attachment for persons with close friends in an organization is sevenfold relative to other individuals in the organization, making them less stressed (Schiffrin, & Nelson, 2010). Another aspect that relates to perceived stress is the degree of happiness. Various scholarships agree that personality factors play vital roles in the occurrence of happiness. Different paradigms exist as measures of personality, with the Big-Five model being the most admissible (Page-Gould, et al., 2014). The model introduces five key aspects in the form of neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness (Schiffrin, & Nelson, 2010). Trust is a threefold aspect that affects perceived stress in varied forms. In his study, Oktug, (2013) established that trust influences life stressors as an antecedent variable, also, it modifies the effect of the various stressors and ultimately, it acts as one of the stressors. Sociability is claimed to have a significant relation to depression and perceived stress. Such that, a study by Miller, (2013) established that individuals with higher levels of sociability tend to be more vulnerable to perceived stress. The goal of the analysis was to inquire if perceived stress comes from Happiness, sociability, Friendliness, and trust. The study hypotheses that Perceived stress does come from the levels of Happiness, sociability, Friendliness, and trust. Discussion The study sought to establish how the levels of happiness, sociability, friendliness and trust influence the levels of stress. Pegged on the purpose of the study, the research drew a series of paradigms and relevant literature to compare results and establish relevant findings from the analysis. Adopting questionnaires administered via online surveys, the study selected 67 respondents from the University as samples. A multi regression analysis was conducted to assertion the validity of the hypothesis. The findings show that each variable relates to the levels of perceived stress differently. The multi regression reveals that perceived stress is predicted with a mean of 30.19 by happiness, 32.36 by sociability, 26.64 friendliness and 32.82 by trust. The study similarly tested the correlation between predictor variables and the levels of perceived stress. Even so, the only significant variable was established as happiness with the regression set at 45.6 percent for all the variables. From the literature, friendliness is established as an essential aspect of creating positive emotions. Positive emotions are known to elicit hormones that reduce the levels of stress in humans (Schiffrin, & Nelson, 2010). From the study, the Pearson correlation between perceived stress and friendliness is established as being insignificant. Happiness was determined to have a negative relationship with perceived stress. The results imply that the level of perceived stress tends to decrease as the degree of happiness in a university student increases. Literature provides that happiness is an epidemic phenomenon, in the long run, such that people tend to be happy provided that they live with happy persons for periods exceeding six months (Horiuchi, et al., 2013). Past studies show that 10 percent of happiness is drawn from the environment in which an individual lives while 50 percent is drawn from emotions. Stress being an emotional aspect, a relationship between the two is possible. Studies from various countries in Europe report that happy persons indicate low levels of negative moods following mental stress trials. In their study, Horiuchi, et al., (2013) hypothesized and established that persons with higher degrees of happiness showed significantly lower levels of negative emotions and greater amounts of positive moods. The results partially support the hypothesis in which subjective happiness buffers the effect of stressors on negative attitudes by affecting post-stress negative mood levels. The study additionally sought to determine how the level of trust impacts on perceived stress. Theorists classify trust into three dimensions that re social, institutional and trusting others. As indicated in the introductory part, the relation between stress and trust is threefold. Such that, trust influences life stressors as an antecedent variable, also, it modifies the effect of the various stressors and ultimately, it acts as one of the stressors (Oktug, 2013). The three varied positions of trust are substantially related to the stress causation chain. The three forms of trust are established as having no impact on university students. Thus, the effect of trust on student stress is insignificant in this study. Sociability is the quality of seeking others. In the analysis, no significant relationship was established between the explanatory and dependent variable. The findings of the study contribute to existing literature on personality and stress. Stress, as established in the paper, is a product of happiness, the results relate to the findings of various studies. Despite establishing a weak relationship between perceived stress and the explanatory variables, the significance established in the level of happiness is an indication of the validity of the study. The establishment of some level of significance could be alluded to the use of large sample size drawn from different populations of university students, this marks as the strength of the study. Nevertheless, the main weakness of the study is the use of the online survey method that is prone to data loss. The study opted for the online survey due to the nature of the study and the sample, which tends to register a high degree of internet accessibility. Similarly, since the study involved the collection of personal data, of importance, was to avoid any ethical issues and interviewer bias. Additionally, the online method ensured that the responds were from various backgrounds and nationalities such that cases of bias were reduced significantly. Nevertheless, the study faulted in the selection of the sample of that only respondent with internet connectivity were available for the study, this implies students with limited internet connectivity were left out of the study. Due the universality of the survey, the study expected to interview respondents from various countries. However, time constraints meant that some students were not interviewed due to trim zone differences. Due to these challenges, the study proposes to allocate sufficient time for the collection of data such that respondents with limited internet connectivity and in different time zones can participate in the survey. References Evans, J. R., & Mathur, A. (2005). The value of online surveys. Internet Research, 15(2), 195-219. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/219855644?accountid=1611 Horiuchi, S. , Tsuda, A. , Toyoshima, N. , Aoki, S. & Sakano, Y. (2013). Association of Increased Levels of Happiness with Reduced Levels of Tension and Anxiety after Mental Stress Testing in Japanese College Students. Psychology, 4, 682-687. doi: 10.4236/psych.2013.49097. Horiuchi, S., Tsuda, A., Toyoshima, N., Aoki, S., & Sakano, Y. (2013). Association of increased levels of happiness with reduced levels of tension and anxiety after mental stress testing in japanese college students. Psychology, 4(9), 682-687. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1460553397?accountid=1611 Marcus, D., & Baehrisch, E. (2013). The pursuit of happiness, stress and temporomandibular disorders. Health, Culture and Society, 5(1), 279-n/a. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.5195/hcs.2013.129 Miller, J. W. (2013). The role of sociability self-concept in the relationship between exposure to and concern about aggression in middle school. RMLE Online, 36(7), 1-10. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1426959755?accountid=1611 Oktug, Z. (2013). Managing emotions in the workplace: Its mediating effect on the relationship between organizational trust and occupational stress. International Business Research, 6(4), 81-88. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1439810308?accountid=1611 Page-Gould, E., Mendoza-Denton, R., & Mendes, W. B. (2014). Stress and coping in interracial contexts: The influence of race-based rejection sensitivity and cross-group friendship in daily experiences of health. The Journal of Social Issues, 70(2), 256-278. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/josi.12059 Prasad, N. V., Rao, A., & Dollah, M. Z. (2012). YOUNG PEOPLE AND CREATIVE VIDEO PRODUCTION: A CASE STUDY OF MEDIA MAKING ON ISSUES OF STRESS AND FRIENDSHIP AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN MALAYSIA. Researchers World, 3(4), 83-89. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1285124806?accountid=1611 Schiffrin, H. H., & Nelson, S. K. (2010). Stressed and happy? investigating the relationship between happiness and perceived stress. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11(1), 33-39. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10902-008-9104-7 Read More