Academic Stress Among College Students: Comparison of American and International Students.

TLDR

This study compared academic stressors and reactions to stressors between American and international students using Gadzella’s Life Stress Inventory. The authors examined five categories of academic stressors (frustrations, conflicts, pressures, changes, self‑imposed) and four categories of reactions (physiological, emotional, behavioral, cognitive) in a sample of 392 students from two Midwestern universities. American students reported higher self‑imposed stressors and stronger behavioral reactions, and status and its interaction with stressors emerged as the strongest predictors of all reaction types, highlighting the importance of cultural differences in stress management. Implications for university mental health providers are discussed.

Abstract

This study compared academic stressors and reactions to stressors between American and international students using Gadzella’s Life Stress Inventory (B. M. Gadzella, 1991). Five categories of academic stressors (i.e., frustrations, conflicts, pressures, changes, and self-imposed) and four categories describing reactions to these stressors (i.e., physiological, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive) were examined. The sample consisted of 392 international and American students from 2 Midwestern universities. American students reported higher self-imposed stressors and greater behavioral reactions to stressors than international students. Respondent’s status (American or international) and interaction of status and stressors emerged as the 2 strongest predictors of their behavioral, emotional, physiological, and cognitive reaction to stressors. Five stressors attained statistical significance in the regression model. The findings emphasize the need to recognize cultural differences in stress management. Implications for mental health providers in the university arena are discussed.