Extracurricular activities on academic stress levels in physical therapy students: a cross-sectional analytical study

Participating in extracurricular activities may reduce academic stress, although its impact on physical therapy students is not clearly determined.

To evaluate the association between participation in extracurricular activities and academic stress levels among physical therapy students.

A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted on 110 fourth-year undergraduate physical therapy students in Chile. Participants completed an online form reporting demographic data and extracurricular activity characteristics. Academic stress was assessed using the Academic Stressors Questionnaire.

The mean age of the sample was 23.1 ± 2.3 years, and 64 (58.2%) students were engaged in extracurricular activities. Students involved in extracurricular activities reported significantly lower academic stress levels compared to those who did not (3.09 ± 0.89 vs. 2.54 ± 0.80; p < 0.001; d = 0.66). For all students, female gender was significantly associated with higher academic stress level (r = 0.20, p = 0.033). Additionally, a weak negative association was observed between academic stress and participation in extracurricular activities (r = -0.31, p < 0.001).Furthermore, gender and extracurricular activity accounted for 11.8% of the variance in academic stress (F_2,107 = 7.17; p < 0.001; r² = 0.118). However, the gender was not significant in this model (p = 0.114).

Engagement in extracurricular activities is associated with significantly lower academic stress, irrespective of the type or duration of the activity. These findings highlight the potential psychological benefits of extracurricular engagement for physical therapy students.