The Factors Associated with Stress Level of Undergraduate Students

Abstract

This cross-sectional survey aimed to study the stress levels of undergraduate students and the factors associated with stress levels of undergraduate students. The sample were 469undergraduate students of Suranaree University of Technology with studying period in March-June 2019. The tools were questionnaire and Suanprung stress test. The results showed that the majority of sample was female aged between 20-22 years old with a total of two brothers or sisters who had average income per month in the range of 4,001-6,000 Baht and no underlying disease. Their father and mother marital status was they live together and raised by foster parents, and most of them had high level of stress at 44.56 percent by Suanprung stress test. The personal factors related to the stress levels of students included the curriculum and institute of their study (c2=34.22, p-value=0.00), average income per month (c2=27.78, p-value=0.02), their parent’s marital status (c2=22.31, p-value=0.03), who raise them (c2=40.41, p-value=0.00). University’s environments were related to stress levels of undergraduate students, such as curriculum activity factors (r=0.920, p-value=0.000), extra-curriculum factors (r=0.196, p-value=0.008), interpersonal relationship factors (r=0.489, p-value=0.000), economic and physical environment factors (r=0.477, p-value=0.000) were associated with stress levels of undergraduate students. The results suggested that the most of samples had high level of stress, accounting for 45 percent by Suanprung stress test. They could not reduce the stress in a short time period, it could lead them to chronic stress and various diseases later. Then, the study of stress relief for this group is necessary.