Teerarat Tassanapitikul. Stress level coping styles and related factors among grade 10 students in the science school Nakhon Pathom province. Master's Degree(Human Development ). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2006.
Stress level coping styles and related factors among grade 10 students in the science school Nakhon Pathom province
Abstract:
This is a cross-sectional survey of 193 tenth grade students in the academic year 2004. The students were enrolled in a special science boarding school in Nakhon Pathom province, Thailand. The objective of this study was to understand the relationship between students academic performance, anxiety level and other related factors. The data collection included two components: 1) primary data consisting of a self-administered questionnaire covering demographics, family relations, satisfaction with learning, social and living environment, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Subjective Health Complaints, and modified coping style checklist and 2) secondary data consisting of school records on students academic performance, physical examination, type of illnesses and number of visits to the school health service.
It was found that 97 percents of the students reported moderate to high anxiety-state (56.76+7.66) and anxiety-trait (56.09+7.52). Anxiety levels were statistically significantly correlated with students subjective health complaints in the past 30 days. The most frequent complaints was pseudoneurologic symptoms (r= 0.47-0.58, p<0.01). Students were generally healthy. The main reason for male students to visit the health service was accidents but for females it was headache. Their academic performance were high in both semester I (3.67+0.29) and semester II (3.66+0.25), however, the improvement in academic in semester II was significantly correlated with lower anxiety levels (r= -0.165, p=0.023). Parental expectations correlated significantly with students anxiety levels (p<0.01). Students problem-focused coping but not the emotional-focused coping had significant correlation with lower anxiety levels (p<0.01). When the anxiety levels was controlled, students who applied problem-focused coping correlated significantly with satisfaction with school environment (r=0.3, p<0.01), family relationship and subjective health complaints (r =0.15, p<0.05).
The findings point to the possible benefit of guidance for parents and students on parental expectations and school program to enhance students constructive coping styles. Self-assessment of anxiety level would be helpful for further development and successful management of high anxiety, which leads to better health, facilitates academic performance and future well being.