DEMOGRAPHIC PREDICTORS OF ACADEMIC STRESS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN BAYELSA STATE

Abstract

The study investigated demographic variables as predictors of academic stress among university students in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Three research questions were answered and three hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The design of the study was
correlational. The population of the study was 9,504 first-year university students (regular). The sample size for the study was 670 university students (343 males and 327 females). Simple random sampling and proportionate stratified random sampling methods were used to obtain the sample. Two instruments were used for data collection: a self-designed Academic Stress Scale (ASS), and a demographic form. Face, content, and construct validities were determined for the instrument. The reliability of ASS instrument was determined with the Cronbach alpha technique. ASS had a coefficient of .75. The research questions were answered by means of simple and multiple regression while the hypotheses were analysed with ANOVA associated with simple and multiple regression. The findings showed that gender, marital status, and age significantly predicted university students’ academic stress by 4.9%, 1.5%, and 1.3% respectively. The researcher recommended that university students separated from their spouses should visit counseling units regularly to cope with academic stress.