A study on stress processes for college students during semester-end examinations

Abstract

The present study examined individual differences in psychological and physiological stress responses to the same stressor. In Study 1, psychological stress responses were assessed at three time periods: four weeks before, the day before, and the middle day of the semester-end examination period (N = 69). Both stress coping and MPI were assessed once during the study. In Study 2, 15 subjects were exposed to the same psychological stressor in an experiment to measure heart rate. The stressors were memorization of material relevant to the examination (Test 1), and mental calculation irrelevant to the examination (Test 2). Subjects were divided into 2 groups on the basis of their Study 1 psychological stress response scores: the low stress group (LS, N = 10) and the high stress group (HS, N = 5). The results of Study 1 and Test 1 of Study 2 suggested that there were significant differences between LS and HS in stress responses. These findings were discussed in light of cognitive appraisal and controllability of time. Further studies are needed to clarify the aspect of time span in cognitive appraisal.