Academic Stress and Coping Strategies among Undergraduates in Selected Tertiary Institutions in Adamawa State

Abstract

The study investigated academic stress and coping strategies among students in selected tertiary institutions in Adamawa State. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population consists of selected tertiary institutions in Adamawa State. A sample size of 300 undergraduates was selected through stratified random sampling technique. An instrument titled ‘Academic Stress among Undergraduates Questionnaire’ was used to collect data from the respondents. The face and content validity of the instrument was established by an expert in Counselling Psychology in the Department of Science Education, Adamawa State University, Mubi. The reliability of the instrument was carried out using test-retest reliability method. First test was administered on 30 students, while the second test was administered on the same set of students after two weeks. The reliability coefficient was 0.82. The researcher and two research assistants administered the questionnaires and collected them on the spot. The collected data were analyzed using mean, t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA obtained. Four research questions and two hypotheses were raised to guide the study. The results also revealed that the most common stressors among the students include continuous poor performance, unfair treatment by boyfriends/girlfriends, and uncertainty about getting a job after graduating, competition with fellow students, overcrowded lecture halls, and high expectations from parents, not attending lectures, and conflict with fellow students. It also revealed that the strategies employed by students in coping with stress include being assertive enough to remove certain obstacles blocking their right success. It was recommended that good eating habit should be priority of students in relation to stress management and enough sleep and exercise is an important remedy to stress management.