Sources of Stress, Depression and Academic Functioning of University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine the sources of stress that students experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to gender and change of residence, as well as the relation between specific sources of stress, depressive symptoms and self-rated academic functioning. The study included 923 students aged 19 to 28 (73 % females). The students completed the Stress Source Questionnaire, the Academic Functioning Questionnaire, and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Four groups of stress sources have been identified. The consequences of isolation represent the strongest stress source, followed by academic stress, the possibility of infection, and family sources of stress. Females experience all sources of stress more intensely than males, and students who changed their residence experience family problems and the consequences of isolation more stressfully than students who live continuously in their families. All sources of stress, except possible infection, are significant predictors of depression, while depression is a significant additional predictor of students' self-rated academic functioning after controlling for gender, change of residence, and sources of stress. The consequences of isolation, as a source of stress, have the strongest effect on depression and self-rated academic functioning.