Sources of Stress Among Psychology Undergraduates

A survey of psychology students at Trinity College, Dublin, in the four years of the undergraduate course (n=94) was conducted to identify important sources and symptoms of stress. Participants completed a self-rated, 60-item questionnaire to identify perceived sources of stress and a 28-item scaled version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The most frequently reported sources of stress were fears of falling behind with course work, finding the motivation to study, time pressures, financial worries and concern about academic ability. These were consistent stressors in all four years of the course. A relatively high level of psychological distress (as assessed by the GHQ) was found among the sample in comparison with other student groups. On the GHQ, female students (M=5.8) reported significantly higher (p<.05) levels of psychological distress than males (M=2.1).