The state of academic stress in the higher institutions of Ghana: The way forward

Abstract

Stress resulting from academic work among lecturers and students in Ghanaian higher institutions greatly affects their health and academic output. The study aimed at identifying the sources and causes of academic stress in the higher institutions in Ghana while suggesting effective stress coping mechanisms. The study was driven in the convergent parallel mixed method research with questionnaire administration, private interviews and focus group discussion as data collection tools. A total of 478 sampled respondents in three higher institutions in Ghana were involved in the study. This included 74 lecturers and 404 students in three higher institutions in Ghana. The findings of the study revealed that lack of planning of work schedule, unnecessary delays of work while striving to meet deadlines or procrastination, poor eating, sleeping and exercise habits as well as unrealistic academic goals were the main causes of academic stress. The study contends that the setting of healthy academic goals, good planning and schedule of academic work, giving room for exercise and relaxation at regularly planned intervals, meticulously following healthy eating and sleeping habits as well as Africultural coping mechanisms were the effective management strategies of academic stress. The study tasks the Ministry of Education and the regulatory bodies of higher institutions in Ghana to ensure the setting of guidance and counseling units as well as task welfare committees to periodically organize workshops and seminars to sensitize the members of the higher institutions on the dangers of academic stress and effective approaches in curtailing them.