Personal assessment of stress factors for college students

During a four-year period, an instrument to identify stress was developed from items suggested by students from a search of related literature, and from a jury of experts. The 100-item instrument, including four subcategories, was administered to more than 1,200 students at 23 colleges. Means were computed to the total test, subcategories, and individual items according to frequency and intensity. Responses of men and women were sufficiently different to warrant establishing separate means; women scored higher than men. The degree of stress reported by women decreased with each grade level, but peaked in the sophomore year for men and declined thereafter. Academic factors were cited most frequently as a source of stress, while Relationships and Home and Community factors ranked high in stress intensity. The instrument provides a valuable tool to assist students identify factors that could be targeted for stress management. The instrument also could be used as a tool for further stress management research.