Academic stress in students of the University of La Guajira, Colombia

Abstract

Adolescence is a phase of physical, psychological, sociocultural and cognitive changes that demand attention, leading young people to practice coping strategies that allow them to consolidate their identity, autonomy, personal and social success, so that the entrance to the university may represent situations that can become stressful effects, due to experimentation, perhaps lack of control of the new environment. Hence, the objective of the research was to analyze academic stress in students of the University of La Guajira in Colombia. Methodologically, it is a quantitative paradigm, positivist approach, descriptive type of research, non-experimental, transactional, field design, population 1,200 students, applying a simple random sample, represented by 840 students. A 12-item questionnaire was applied, validated by 10 experts, calculating the reliability with Cronbach’s alpha formula, resulting in 87%. Descriptive statistics were used in the data analysis. The results indicate a moderate level of academic stress in the students of the University under study. Concluding that academic stress is derived from new responsibilities, workload, fear of failure, family pressure, change of eating habits, among others.