ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Academic stress affects students in many ways, with psychological effects including anxiety, depression, and burnout, which significantly impair a student's ability to function effectively. Anxiety disorders can lead to constant worry and fear about academic performance, while depression can result in a lack of motivation, feelings of hopelessness, and withdrawal from social activities. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we sought to examine academic stress among undergraduate students at the University of Benin, including their knowledge, attitudes, prevalence, determinants, impacts on well-being, and coping strategies. METHODOLOGY: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used for this study that was carried out among undergraduates in the University of Benin from October 2023 to October 2024. The sample size used was 600 and it was calculated using Cochran’s formula for descriptive studies. A multi-stage sampling technique was utilized for the study. Data was collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire with close ended and open-ended questions adapted from the Perception of Academic Stress Scale and the Short WarwickEdinburgh mental well-being. Data was analysed using the IBM SPSS version 26.0 and the level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Data was presented using prose, frequency tables, and graphs. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics and Research Committee, University of Benin Teaching Hospital. RESULT: A total of 600 respondents participated in this study with a mean age ± SD of 23.2 ± 2.8 years. Slightly more than half of respondents were males. Almost all the respondents were aware of academic stress with friends and family being the source of information for majority of respondents. The majority of respondents 593 (98.8%) had good knowledge of academic stress with religion being significantly associated with knowledge (p = 0.001). More than half of respondents 328 (54.7%) demonstrated good attitude, with selfemployment (p = 0.004), and residing off-campus (p = <0.001) being associated with a positive attitude. Among respondents who experienced academic stress, majority 506 (88.5%) had a moderate level of academic stress followed by 66 (11.5%) who had high academic stress. Twenty-eight respondents had no academic stress. Factors such as age (p = 0.021), marital status (p = < 0.0001), employment status (p = < 0.0001) and residential status (p = 0.001) significantly influenced the prevalence of academic stress. Majority of respondents, 577 (96.2%) had good use of coping strategies for academic stress while over two-thirds, 477 (79.5%) had good mental health. Monthly allowance, residential status, academic stress, and use of coping strategies were significantly associated with mental health. CONCLUSION: The study showed that the majority of the students of university of Benin were aware of academic stress with more than half possessing good knowledge on the subject. More than half of respondents had a good attitude towards academic stress. The majority of respondents had moderate levels of academic stress and had good use of coping strategies. Over two-thirds of respondents had good mental health status. Keywords: academic stress, burnout, stress, mental health
