The Role of Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Future Career Anxiety of Final-Year Students

Abstract

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic is very closely related to anxiety. From the growing number of unemployment the existence of economic recession, the high potential for job losses, and the decrease in wages caused by restrictions on activity, COVID-19 has reinforced the emergence of future career anxiety. Particularly, future career anxiety among final-year students needs to be researched, as students have to face pressures and adjustment as future workers in order to meet the needs of their life after graduating from college whilst facing the COVID-19 situation. Hence, the purpose of this study is to empirically test the role of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic against future career anxiety in final year students. This study is done through non-experimental quantitative method, which applied some measuring instruments, such as the COVID-19 Stress Scale (CSS) and Career Anxiety Scale. The data obtained in this study is analyzed through the SPSS application version 25 with simple linear regression analysis technique. The study subjects involved 432 final year students with an age range from 19 to 30 years old. The results indicate that stress during the COVID-19 pandemic has a significant role to play in the future career anxiety of final year students.