Although studying is a period of personal growth and development, it is also a period of major changes, and every change, no matter how welcome it may be, causes stress because it requires adaptation to different circumstances. Studying therefore presents an additional challenge to an individual’s general psychological adjustment and functioning.
Why? First and foremost, the demands are much greater than in secondary school. Students need to acquire a whole range of new skills, such as time-management skills and new skills for meeting academic obligations, while a much greater degree of independence and self-discipline is expected than before. At the same time, students need to build new relationships in a new environment while maintaining their existing ones. For students who change their place of residence when enrolling in a study programme, this can be an additional challenge, as they also need to adjust to living independently.
It has been shown that adjustment to and success in university studies largely depend on psychological rather than solely intellectual factors. Motivation to study, knowledge of learning strategies, study habits, problem-solving skills, self-confidence, social support, optimism, perseverance and self-esteem are extremely important factors in academic success. Psychological factors are therefore at least as important as, if not more important than, intellectual abilities for achieving success in university studies.
Stress can be described as a state that occurs when we are faced with an event that we assess or experience as threatening, harmful or dangerous. What most definitions have in common is their emphasis on subjective perception, meaning the way in which we view a particular situation or event.
This is why some people go through truly difficult experiences and, although they may have various reactions, recover and remain able to live normally and be happy. On the other hand, some people suffer and feel unhappy even though they have not objectively experienced such unpleasant circumstances or many unpleasant events in their lives.
Poorer stress-management skills among students can cause test anxiety, fear of failure, fear of oral examinations and public speaking, such as giving seminar presentations, postponement of obligations and examinations, difficulties with studying and passing examinations, concentration difficulties, lack of motivation and similar problems.
Sources of stress
When discussing the causes of stress, we are referring to events or situations that a person experiences as a threat, which are called stressors.
It should not be forgotten that positive life events, such as employment, parenthood, starting university or retirement, also cause stress. This stress is, of course, less intense and less harmful, but it still requires us to adapt to new circumstances.
Therefore, all events or changes that require us to adapt to new circumstances and learn new skills and patterns of behaviour cause stress to the body.
When a stressful period is brief and the person quickly returns to their usual level of functioning afterwards, it is highly likely that there will be no lasting consequences. However, if stress is prolonged, particularly when the person lacks the skills needed to cope with it, this is referred to as chronic stress, which can have serious consequences for functioning.
The stress we experience manifests itself on four levels: cognitive, behavioural, emotional and physical. The following table contains examples of possible manifestations of stress.
| Cognitive | Behavioural | Emotional | Physical |
| Difficulty concentrating and focusing on tasks, excessive concern about unimportant matters, imagining negative, worrying or frightening situations. | Aggression, shouting, crying, smoking cigarettes and consuming alcohol, neglecting physical activity, withdrawal and losing patience. | Fear, anger, nervousness, dissatisfaction and sadness. | Rapid heartbeat, elevated blood pressure, rapid breathing, increased sweating, headaches, stiffness in the neck and shoulders, back pain, stomach pain and nausea. |
Table 1. Manifestations of stress
Coping with stress
Stress-coping strategies can be divided into active, passive and avoidant strategies.
- Active coping involves attempting to change and eliminate sources of stress through problem-solving, making plans or setting aside other activities.
- Passive coping is also referred to as emotion-focused coping and involves attempting to reduce the emotional consequences of stress. In this case, the person may give up or seek emotional release through crying and similar behaviour.
- Avoidance is also a passive strategy. It can manifest itself as avoidance in one’s thinking, by not thinking about the problem, and as avoiding dealing with the problem. It may also include engaging in other activities, such as spending time with friends, pursuing hobbies and similar activities.
The usefulness of these strategies depends on the characteristics of the situation. In situations in which we believe that we have control, it is logical to use active strategies. However, if solving the problem is beyond our control, we are more likely to turn to passive strategies.