First Author\[1\]<sup>\*</sup>, Second Author<sup>2</sup>  
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<table>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>ARTICLE INFO</td>
<td></td>
<td>ABSTRACT</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td><p><em>Article history:</em></p>
<p>Received XX Month 2024</p>
<p>Revised XX Month 2024</p>
<p>Accepted XX Month 2024</p>
<p>Online first</p>
<p>Published 1 September 2024</p></td>
<td></td>
<td>In today's society, stress often becomes a significant problem. Various factors contribute to this, including a busy lifestyle, work pressure, financial issues, health concerns, tense interpersonal relationships, technological advancements, and social changes. These factors bring additional pressures, such as the pressure to succeed professionally, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and meet social expectations. Various other factors can also lead to prolonged stress. It's crucial for society to recognize these stress issues and provide the necessary support and resources to help individuals manage and be head of with stress in their daily lives. Insightful communities can play a vital role in creating supportive environments and building resilience to effectively face stress challenges. This research aims to see the differences in the mean stress score by gender and also the relationship between scores of stress and gender. The results of this study indicate that there is difference in the mean score by gender and the relationship[ between stress scores and gender is significant</td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td><p><em>Keywords:</em></p>
<p>DASS</p>
<p>Mental Health</p>
<p>Post Covid19</p>
<p>Stress</p>
<p>Tertiary Level</p>
<p><em>DOI:</em></p>
<p>10.24191/jcrinn.v9i2</p></td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

# INTRODUCTION

Stress can be defined as a physiological and psychological response to a perceived threat or demand, whether real or imagined, that disturbs the body's equilibrium (Ogazi et al., 2022). It's a natural reaction that helps individuals cope with challenging situations. Stress triggers the body's "fight or flight" response, releasing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which prepare the body to confront or flee from the perceived danger (Sharma & Pal, 2021). While short-term stress can be beneficial, chronic or excessive stress can have negative effects on physical health, mental well-being, and overall quality of life (Egede et al., 2022).

Stress in today often becomes a significant problem. A busy lifestyle, work pressure, financial issues, health concerns, tense interpersonal relationship, technological advancement and social changes bring additional pressure, such as the pressure to succeed professionally, maintain a healthy lifestyle and meet social expectation (Tran et al., 2020). Various other factors can also lead to prolonged stress. It’s crucial for society to recognise these stress issues and provide the necessary support and resources to help individual manage and cope with stress in their daily lives. Insightful communities can be vital in creating supportive environment and building resilience to face stress challenges effectively.

# LITERATURE REVIEW

## Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS)

In this study, we surveyed the factors contributing to stress among students using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) questionnaire. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) is a psychological measurement method used to assess the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in individuals (Akin & Çetin, 2007). This scale is commonly employed in scientific research and clinical assessments to evaluate a person's emotional state. Studies utilizing DASS often yield valuable information about the mental health status of specific populations, enabling researchers and healthcare professionals to design appropriate and effective interventions for individuals experiencing emotional distress. In the following table 1 shows the three distinct subscales of DASS:

Table 1 The Subscales of DASS

|              |                                                                                                                |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Subscale** | **Descriptions**                                                                                               |
| Depression   | Measures the level of feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest or pleasure in life.             |
| Anxiety      | Measures the level of excessive worry, fear, and tension.                                                      |
| Stress       | Measures the level of excessive anxiety, fear, and tension stemming from specific situations or circumstances. |

Each subscale contains several statements that individuals rate based on how well they reflect their experiences over a certain period. The results from DASS provide an overall picture of a person's emotional state and can be used to identify individuals who may require psychological assistance or further support. Scores in DASS are typically obtained by summing up individuals' ratings for each statement in each subscale (depression, anxiety, and stress). Each statement is usually assessed using a Likert scale ranging from 0 to 3 or 4 (0: Not at all, 1: A little, 2: Sometimes, 3 or 4: Often). Scores for each subscale (depression, anxiety, and stress) can be used to interpret an individual's overall emotional state. Specific scores may indicate varying levels, and there are typically cutoff scores used to classify levels of depression, anxiety, and stress.

## Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS)

In this study, we focused on the issue of stress among undergraduate students. We utilized the DASS stress subscale questionnaire to assess and measure the levels of anxiety, fear, and excessive tension arising from specific situations or circumstances. The DASS utilizes a series of statements that evaluate an individual's emotional state over a certain period. Each statement is rated by individuals based on the extent to which they agree with the statement. Typically, individuals are asked to provide ratings using a Likert scale ranging from "Not at all" to "Often". The statements that may be included in the DASS stress subscale shows in the following table 2.

Table 2 Example of DASS Stress Subscale Statements

|                                             |                                                                                  |
| ------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Question No. in the DASS Questionnaires** | **DASS Stress Subscale**                                                         |
| 1                                           | I found it hard to wind down.                                                    |
| 6                                           | I tended to overreact to situations.                                             |
| 8                                           | I felt that I was using a lot of nervous energy.                                 |
| 11                                          | I found myself getting agitated.                                                 |
| 12                                          | I found it difficult to relax.                                                   |
| 14                                          | I was intolerant of anything that kept me from getting on with what I was doing. |
| 18                                          | I felt that I was rather touchy                                                  |

Assessments of these statements are then used to generate an overall score in the stress subscale. This score provides an overview of the extent to which an individual experiences stress over a certain period, with higher scores indicate higher levels of stress

## Stress Factors among Students

The situation of stress among students today is highly complex and varies depending on factors such as social context, culture, economics, and the academic environment (Misra & Castillo, 2004). However, several trends and issues are commonly observed in studies and reports on student stress. The following table 3 shows the previous study that found the factors contributing to stress.

Table 3 Summary of The Previous Study on The Factors Contributing to The Stress

|                                                                                                       |                                   |                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Authors**                                                                                           | **Factors**                       | **Description**                                                                                                                                                                             |
| (Gasteiger et al., 2021; Kinderman et al., 2015; Rahimnia et al., 2013; Taheri-Kharameh et al., 2016) | **Anxiety and Mental Well-being** | There is an increase in anxiety and mental health issues among students, including social anxiety, depression, and emotional pressures that is related to academic and social environments. |
| (Bedewy & Gabriel, 2015; Deb et al., 2015; Lal, 2014; Maajida Aafreen et al., 2018)                   | **Academic pressure**             | Students often face high pressure to succeed academically, including pursuing high achievements, completing assignments within short deadlines, and facing stressful exams and assessments. |
| (Jansen et al., 2022; Khadirnavar et al., 2021; McKerrow et al., 2020; Schwartz et al., 2021)         | **Physical health**               | Unhealthy lifestyles, including lack of sleep, exercise, and balanced nutrition, often contribute to stress among students.                                                                 |
| (Bono et al., 2020; Fitzgerald & Konrad, 2021; Guan et al., 2022; Sabri et al., 2020)                 | **Financial concerns**            | Financial issues, including student debt, rising tuition costs, and high living expenses, are also major sources of stress among students.                                                  |
| (Eganov et al., 2020; Kim, 2021; McLean et al., 2023)                                                 | **Social environment**            | Tense interpersonal relationships, peer violence, difficulties adjusting to campus life, and household issues can also cause stress among students.                                         |
| (Haddad et al., 2021; Shi et al., 2020; Wolfers & Utz, 2022; Zhao & Zhou, 2021)                       | **Technology and social media**   | Excessive use of technology and social media can add additional pressure, including feelings of helplessness, lack of privacy, and pressure to maintain a perfect online image.             |
| (Lin et al., 2020; María et al., 2021)                                                                | **Professional demands**          | Students may face pressure to plan their professional future, including finding employment after graduation and adapting to a changing job market.                                          |

With an understanding of these issues, educational institutions and society as a whole need to provide appropriate support to students to help them manage stress, improve mental well-being, and achieve their academic and personal potential.

## Factors on T\&L Contributing to Stress Among Students: The COVID-19 Impact

COVID19 pandemic has shifted the global education landscape, and the rapid transition to online learning has brought many challenges and stressors for students. On top of academic pressure, physical health and financial constraints, the sudden shift from conventional classroom settings to online learning environments posed a substantial challenge. The students had to go through the teaching and learning transition, and the academic institutions were forced to adapt to the new learning setting, often with or without preparation.

The online learning setting has impacted students staying in rural areas. Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds struggle to access online resources, attend online classes and face other technical issues such as unreliable internet connections and limited access to learning devices such as smartphones or tablets (Pui Yee, 2020, Jaspal & Jagdave, 2021). This creates an unequal learning environment and causes stress levels among students (Hamid and Khalidi, 2020). The heavy utilization of technology not only causes technical issues and a digital divide but also causes issues for students to adapt to new online learning platforms quickly. They must proficiently use various digital tools and technologies with minimal guidance. The urgency to learn and become proficient in handling the digital tools for teaching and learning contributed to increased anxiety and stress, especially among those less familiar with technology.

Besides technology challenges, the pandemic has heightened mental health issues among students due to a lack of interaction and engagement (Pui Yee, 2020). The online learning environment often lacks interactivity and engaging elements compared to conventional classrooms. The lack of interaction and face-to-face communication contributed to feelings of isolation and indirectly decreased learning motivation. In 2021, the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) reported that 20% of university students experience anxiety and depression due to various reasons, and the lack of interaction is one of the factors (MOH, 2021). The lack of physical interaction makes students feel disconnected and the sense of isolation is a significant contributor to psychological stress.

Furthermore, the shift to online platforms has led to a rise in cognitive overload and associated stress. Not only do students have to stay focused throughout the online class session, but they also must learn and adapt to the new learning tools quickly. The lack of tools for effective online learning has negatively impacted students, causing stress and anxiety (Chan, Karim and Yusof, 2020). On the same note, the prolonged exposure to computer screens or tablet screens led to digital fatigue among students (Sarangal and Nargotra, 2022). They will experience physical and mental exhaustion from excessive digital device use. This causes headaches, eye strain and reduced concentration, all of which contribute to overall stress levels.

# METHODOLOGY

The sample for this study included 276 students from various UiTM campuses in Malaysia, with most respondents from UiTM Pulau Pinang. Data was collected during an online mental health webinar, where questionnaires were distributed to all participants.

However, only 51 male and 103 female students responded. Students' stress levels were evaluated using the DASS 21 questionnaire, which comprises 21 items with 7 items each for stress, depression, and anxiety, although this study focuses solely on the 7 items related to stress. Respondents were asked about difficulty in relaxing, overreacting to situations, feeling agitated, and being intolerant, and each answer was assessed according to its severity, from 0 (not at all) to 4 (often). The total score for each respondent was calculated and multiplied by two to align with the DASS 42 severity rating, as shown in Table 4, where higher scores indicate greater levels of stress.

Table 4: DASS 42 severity ratings (Stress)

|                      |                  |
| -------------------- | ---------------- |
| **DASS(42) Scoring** | **Severity**     |
| 0-14                 | Normal           |
| 15 - 18              | Mild             |
| 1 9- 25              | Moderate         |
| 26 - 33              | Severe           |
| 34+                  | Extremely severe |

Source: Lovibond, (1995)

Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25. The research instruments were evaluated with a reliability test, where a Cronbach's alpha value greater than 0.7 indicates that the questionnaire is acceptable and reliable, as suggested by George and Mallery (2003).

This study aims to see the differences in the mean stress score by gender and also the relationship between levels of stress and gender. In order to find out if there are differences in average stress scores by gender, an independent samples t-test was utilized. This parametric test compares the means of two independent groups to ascertain whether there is statistical evidence of a significant difference between their population means. The t-test assumes homogeneity of variance, meaning that both groups should have the same variance. Levene's Test was used to check for this homogeneity of variance, confirming the appropriateness of the independent samples t-test.

The null hypothesis for Levene's Test states that the population variances of the two groups are equal. If Levene's Test null hypothesis is rejected, it indicates that the variances between the two groups are unequal, thus violating the assumption of homogeneity of variance. The hypotheses for the independent samples t-test are as follows:

H<sub>0</sub>: There is no significant difference in average stress scores by gender.

H<sub>1</sub>: There is a significant difference in average stress scores by gender.

On the other hand, Chi-Square independent analysis was performed to find the answer about the relationship between levels of stress and gender. The hypotheses are as follows:

H<sub>0</sub>: There is no significance difference on average of stress score by gender.

H<sub>1</sub>: There is a significance difference on average of stress score by gender.

# RESULT AND DISCUSSION

Using the reliability analysis, the Cronbach’s Alpha for the seven items in the questionnaire is 0.867 which is \> 0.7, suggesting that the items have relatively high internal consistency.

| **Area** | **Value** |
| -------- | --------- |
| Stress   | 0.867     |

Table 5 : Cronbach’s Alpha

Descriptive analysis shows that out of 70 male respondents, 51 are in the normal category, while the remaining are in the mild to extreme severe stress categories. In contrast, out of 206 female respondents, 103 are in the normal category, with the rest falling into the mild to extreme severe stress categories. However, for both genders, the highest number of respondents with stress falls into the mild category.

Table 6 : Cross Tabulation for Gender vs Level of Severity

|            |        |            |          |              |            |                    |           |
| ---------- | ------ | ---------- | -------- | ------------ | ---------- | ------------------ | --------- |
|            |        | **Normal** | **Mild** | **Moderate** | **Severe** | **Extreme Severe** | **Total** |
| **Gender** | Male   | 51         | 7        | 5            | 6          | 1                  | 70        |
|            | Female | 103        | 35       | 30           | 27         | 11                 | 206       |
| **Total**  |        | 154        | 42       | 35           | 33         | 12                 | 276       |

To have a better view in comparing the situation in table 6, the bar chart in figure 1 presented the percentage of stress severity according to gender. The percentage of students with normal conditions seems higher for male rather than female. Other categories mild, moderate, severe and extreme severe showed a higher percentage in female compared to male. This implies that more female students are at risk of having stress. The sources of stress differ between genders, with females being more stressed about personal and family-related issues, while males are more concerned about academic challenges and self-confidence (Nazime, 2020). Matud, (2020) found that women had higher scores than men in several areas, including psychological distress, chronic stress, minor daily hassles, emotional coping styles, and social support. However, most of these differences had small effect sizes. Conversely, Gao (2020) found that female students experienced significantly higher levels of anxiety than male students during their first two years of college, but there were no significant gender differences in depression and stress levels.

<span class="chart">\[CHART\]</span>

Fig. 1: level of severity for stress vs gender

Table 6 shows the total score for stress. This table describe more on the severity of stress level among the students. The mean score for stress for all respondents is 1.94. Noted that a scale of 1 for stress already falls to a normal level. Meanwhile, the median value for stress is 1 which means that more than 50% of the respondents are still in the normal of stress. Similar to findings from (Nor Azili Hassan et al, 2023) which revealed that the majority of the respondents have normal level of stress.

| **Mean**           | 1.94     |
| ------------------ | -------- |
| Standard Deviation | 1.25     |
| Median (Min, Max)  | 1 (1, 5) |

Table 6: Total Score Of Stress

Further test was conducted to investigate the differences of mean score by gender. The result from Levene’s test is significant with p-value = 0.003 \<0.05), which indicates that the independent-t-test must hold the assumption for unequal variances for the two groups of samples. The independent t-test for equality of means is also significant with p-value = 0.001(\<0.05) and these results support the hypothesis that the mean score of stress is not equal for male and female. Similarly to our findings, Mustafa (2022), used an independent t-test and concludes that there is a significant gender difference in perceived stress levels, with females reporting higher levels of perceived stress compared to males.

Table 7: T-Test For Equality Of Means

<table>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td><p><strong>Levene's Test for Equality of</strong></p>
<p><strong>Variances</strong></p></td>
<td><strong>t-test for Equality of Means</strong></td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td><strong>Sig.</strong></td>
<td>Sig.(2 tailed)</td>
<td><p>Mean</p>
<p>Difference</p></td>
<td><p>Std. Error</p>
<p>Difference</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td><strong>Stress score</strong></td>
<td>Equal variances assumed</td>
<td>.003</td>
<td>.003</td>
<td>-.51082</td>
<td>.17012</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td></td>
<td>Equal variances not assumed</td>
<td></td>
<td>.001</td>
<td>-.51082</td>
<td>.15366</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

A statistical procedure for determining the difference between observe data and expected data is the Chi-Square test. This test also used to determine whether it correlates to the categorical variable in our data, which in this case helps us figure out two things which is to investigate the relationship between the stress level and gender.

From the result in table 8, the normal stress level is the highest for both gender male and female which is 72.9 % and 50%. It is also shown that gender was statistically significant at 95% confidence level for stress level (p-value = 0.021 \< 0.05). Therefore there is a relationship between level of stress and gender. This is supported by the findings that male and female students are different in important ways particularly concerning their experience of psychological stress and general psychological well-being (Mohd Suhaimi & Rozita, 2018).

Table 8: Result of Chi Square Test for Gender and Stress Score

| **Stress Level** | **Normal** | **Mild** | **Moderate** | **Severe** | **Extreme** | **p-value** |      |    |      |    |     |       |
| ---------------- | ---------- | -------- | ------------ | ---------- | ----------- | ----------- | ---- | -- | ---- | -- | --- | ----- |
|                  | Freq       | %        | Freq         | %          | Freq        | %           | Freq | %  | Freq | %  |     |       |
| **Gender**       | Male       | 51       | 72.9         | 7          | 10          | 5           | 7.1  | 6  | 8.6  | 1  | 1.4 | 0.021 |
|                  | Female     | 103      | 50           | 35         | 17          | 30          | 14.6 | 27 | 13.1 | 11 | 5.3 |       |

# CONCLUSION

In this study, it appears that the majority of students experienced normal level of stress symptoms as total score for stress is at the normal stages which is 1.9384. Moreover the frequency of stress level from normal to mild stages for gender male is 61% and female is 67%.

From the result, there were significant differences mean score between male and female. We can conclude that the hypothesis for the mean score of stress is not equal for male and female, which there is a significant gender difference in perceived stress levels, with females reporting higher levels of perceived stress compared to males. Based on the Chi-Square independent analysis the relationship between levels of stress and gender are significant. Therefore there is a relationship between level of stress and gender.

This research contributes to the existing literature by shedding light on the perceived stress levels and varied coping strategies employed by male and female students. Consequently, educational interventions may be necessary for students to cultivate enduring, healthy coping mechanisms. Faculty and other university officials are encouraged to prioritize and comprehend these factors to safeguard students' wellbeing within their courses.

# Acknowledgements/Funding

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The authors would like to acknowledge the support of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Cawangan Negeri Sembilan, Kampus Kuala Pilah and Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia for providing the facilities and financial support on this research.

# Conflict of interest statement

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The authors agree that this research was conducted in the absence of any self-benefits, commercial or financial conflicts and declare the absence of conflicting interests with the funders.

# Authors’ contributions

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1.  <sup>\*</sup> Corresponding author. *E-mail address*: <donottypehere@email.com> (Add the e-mail in the final camera-ready submission)