A comparative study of life satisfaction and psychological stress levels among male and female allied health college students

Abstract

Gender differences in psychological disorders have distinct gender profiles, with males more susceptible to aggressive behavior, hypertension, and substance abuse and females more prone to depression and anxiety. Likewise, stress responses among both genders vary physiologically and psychologically, which could lead to complications in many ways. Therefore, this study aimed to determine gender differences in life satisfaction and psychological stress levels among allied health college students. Using a purposive sampling technique, a comparative cross-sectional study recruited 190 male and 190 female students. The self-administered questionnaire included questions related to sociodemographics and two validated scales, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Descriptive statistics were calculated for the study variables, and the students' locality was compared by gender using the chi-square test. Moreover, other sociodemographics, PSS, and SWLS scores were compared by gender using the Mann‒Whitney U test, and the chi-square test was used to determine gender differences in the outcomes of SWLS. The study results showed that the PSS and SWLS scores were higher among female students than their male counterparts, which were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Furthermore, female students were more satisfied with their life than male students, which was also statistically significant (p < 0.05). Our study highlights that female first-year allied health students are more likely to encounter psychological stress, despite being more satisfied with their lives than male students. Therefore, establishing a student support committee within the allied health faculty or university is recommended to provide counseling and guidance in healthy ways to cope with psychological stress for both male and female students.