Anxiety and assertiveness in females: A comparison of medical and non-medical university students

Abstract

Background: This paper focuses on an issue of a culture in which there is a growing trend of non-assertive behavior among females and they are anticipated to be nurturing, vulnerable and non-assertive. They are expected to look on to others to set up goals or decide for them rather than setting their own. The difficulties of academic life and inadequacies in the social skills experience by the female students play a significant role in development of psychological problems like anxiety. Assertive skills are required in the social, academic, professional and personal life of individuals. Therefore, when females join the academic institutions they are also prone to face the aforementioned problems.Method: A purposive sample of 100 female students enrolled in medical (n=50) and non-medical (n=50) colleges and universities (in Jeddah) were selected for the study. The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between assertiveness and anxiety in, and group differences in, medical and non-medical students. This study also tends to investigate the levels of anxiety and assertiveness among such students. The data were collected through tow validated instruments, Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS) and Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (TMAS). A demographic sheet was utilized for the collection of demographic variables. Results: For the analysis of the results; frequencies, correlations, and t-tests were conducted using a statistical software SPSS ver. The results indicated that the severity range of assertiveness varies where some students are very non-assertive or shy and some are aggressive, whereas very few students showed a presence of well developed assertiveness. Similarly, the levels of anxiety levels varied among the students. A significant negative correlation was found between assertiveness and anxiety. The findings revealed that medical students have higher anxiety and lower assertiveness in comparison to non-medical students. Conclusion: The present study found varying levels of assertiveness and anxiety among the medical and non-medical students along with a strong negative correlation between assertiveness and anxiety. The problem of students should be addressed by educationists and the policy makers to enhance their social, psychological and professional abilities. The study findings support the need for training of assertive abilities to reduce anxiety among the students.