Stress influence on academic performance: A Bibliographic Review

Abstract

Introduction: Stress is a psychic and somatic threat condition that is related to multiple conditions of the human being and in different stages, within these the undergraduate training. Academic performance can be affected by various factors, including stress, a condition that characterizes a large percentage of the student population in different settings.

Objective: The objective of this work is the compilation and analysis of information collected mainly from research papers that have been published in the last decade, with greater emphasis in the last 5 years, regarding the influence of stress on academic performance.

Materials and methods: 10 original studies were taken, of which 8 are articles, 1 thesis to opt for the bachelor’s degree and 1 Doctoral Thesis, we proceeded to a review of abstracts, as well as complete articles regarding the implication of stress in academic performance. Using the STAI (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Questionnaire) test of Spielberger, PSQ (Perceived Stress Questionnaire), the SISCO Inventory of academic stress and the Perceived Stress Scale PSS14.

Results: The studied population refers to having presented moments of nervousness during the semester, as well as moderate to severe stress in students between 20 and 24 years old, in the female gender and mild to moderate in the masculine gender. Most of the students present a very good academic performance, observing that at medium levels of stress, better academic performance. 

Conclusion: Prevalence of stress is evidenced as an influencing factor in academic performance, which leads us to think about a still latent problem that requires the attention of teachers and the different pedagogical departments of the various educational institutions.