Date of Award:

5-1999

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Human Development and Family Studies

Department name when degree awarded

Family and Human Development

Committee Chair(s)

Randall M. Jones

Committee

Randall M. Jones

Abstract

A university sample of 238 undergraduate and graduate students between the ages of 19 and 58 completed the Student Stress Measure. Specifically, upper-division undergraduate students and clinical/nonclinical graduate students in social science programs (FHD, Social Work, Sociology, Psychology) were measured for stress level differences due to their particular academic requirements.

Results indicate that, overall, graduate students are more stressed than undergraduate students. Of the graduate students, Sociology students were most stressed in terms of Lifestyle stress scores. The comparison of clinical and non-clinical graduate students shows that there is no difference in stress levels. The Psychology and MFT graduate student comparison indicates that Psychology students are more stressed than MFT students on the Lifestyle Scale only. Fourteen program requirements are related positively to stress levels. The Academic Stressors Scale was the only stress measure that yielded statistical significance for gender, employment status, and marital status. Age correlated negatively with the Events Scale.

Confounding factors, such as sample size, are addressed. Suggestions for future research are provided.

Checksum

f549382ad7b2cce35ef682a0e38427a4

Download

Share

COinS

Copyright for this work is retained by the student. If you have any questions regarding the inclusion of this work in the Digital Commons, please email us at .