A qualitative assessment of personal and academic stressors among Korean College students: an exploratory study

College Student Journal, Sept, 2005 by Dong Hun Lee, Sunwoo Kang, Sichang Yum

The purpose of the study is to explore the patterns of personal and academic stressors reported by Korean college students. The survey items included types of stress factors in academic and personal stressors and demographic variables (i.e., gender and school year). The participants were asked to provide the academic and personal stressors as the first and the second stressors. The responses were qualitatively analyzed using the method provided in the previous studies exploring college students' stressors (Archer & Lamnin, 1985; Murphy & Archer, 1996). Discussion and implication on the results of the present study are provided.

Studies on college students' stress have been on (1) stress and coping behaviors (Kim, Won, Liu, Liu, & Kitanishi, 1997; Naquin & Gilbert, 1996), (2) the stress in relation to health (Roth, Wiebe, Fillingim, & Shay, 1989; Ryan & Twibell, 2000), (3) the outcomes of stress management and stress reduction program (Hirokawa, Yagi, & Miyata, 2002; Lumley & Provenzano, 2003; Sharkin, Plageman, & Mangold; 2003).

Although investigating specific areas relating to college students' stress such as coping behaviors, stress in relation to health, and stress management is useful, a more holistic assessment needs to be adopted to understand college students' patterns of stressors in relation to personal and academic tasks that college students deal with. One way to meaningfully examine the patterns of stressors is to assess the personal and academic stressors qualitatively (Archer & Lamnin, 1985; Murphy & Archer, 1996). A qualitative measure in college student stress research is widely used to increase the authenticity of the participants' responses (Archer & Lamnin, 1985; Cahir & Morris, 1991; Carney, Peterson, & Moberg, 1990; Murphy & Archer, 1996).

The purpose of this study is to investigate the patterns of personal and academic stressors reported by Korean college students. As cultural values are influenced by historically and politically determined experiences (Markus & Kitayama, 1991), it is expected that Korean college students might deal with unique and meaningful developmental tasks that are shaped by cultural norms and societal expectations (Kang, Youn, & Stilwell, 2004). In this regard, exploring the patterns of stressors among Korean college students would provide a meaningful understanding of personal and academic tasks that might be patterned by cultural norms and expectations.

Method

Participants and Procedure

The sample was drawn from a large regional university in Korea (N=146, male=54, female=92). Of 146 participants, 71 were enrolled as 3rd or 4th year students and 75 were enrolled as 1st or 2nd year students, and they were coded as senior and junior students in this study. The surveys were distributed through lower level introductory classes in the college of education. Participants were asked to write the two most frequent personal and academic stressors (i.e., the first stressor and the second stressor) in personal and academic areas. The survey took about ten minutes to complete.

Survey

The survey consisted of two demographic questions on gender and the school year. The survey instrument consisted of two open-ended questions (i.e., first and second stressors) in personal and academic stressors, respectively.

Analysis

The personal and academic stressors described by participants were examined to produce categories. The responses were categorized based on the categorization methods developed by other researchers (Archer & Lamnin, 1985; Murphy & Archer, 1996). The members of the research team who were trained and familiar with the categorization method created the categories and reached agreement on the categories produced. Excluding the categories "other" and "no response", the responses were coded into 14 personal and 16 academic stressor categories. The coded data were perused by the researchers of the present study to enhance the accuracy of the responses in personal and academic stressors. The frequencies in percentages of the combined stressor responses were computed for academic and personal stressors.

Results

The percentages of frequently reported stressors were computed in both personal and academic stressors. The categories are presented in the order of frequently reported stressors. In the personal stressors, the most frequently reported stressor (i.e., the first category) was, "future career plan" which contained 18.24% of personal stressors reported by participants. The second category, "finance" included 17.91% of personal stressors. The third category, "interpersonal relationships" accounted for 11.15% of the personal stressors. The fourth category, "personal appearance" contained 7.77% of the personal stressors. The fifth category, "intimate relationship" included 7.43% of the personal stressors reported. The sixth category, "personal achievement and goal setting" accounted for 5.41% of the personal stressors. The seventh category, "general concerns about academic issues" accounted for 4.39 % of the personal stressors reported. The eighth category, "family issues and parental conflicts" included 4.05 % of the personal stressors. The ninth category, "approaching/meeting other students" accounted for 3.04 % of the personal stressors. The three categories, "not enough free time", "health", and "judgment/acceptance/pressures by peers and senior students" co-ranked as the tenth categories and accounted for 2.03 % of the personal stressors, respectively. The eleventh category, "serving in military" accounted for 1.69% of the personal stressors. The twelfth category, "fatigue and lack of sleep" accounted for 1.35 % of the personal stressors. Other responses reported as personal stressors are grouped and presented together.