EVALUATION OF STRESS AMONG FEMALE STUDENTS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Background: Researchers have studied stress among university students over the years. Because of the effects it has on health and academic performance. The aim of this study was to study stress by measuring its level, identifying its sources and how to cope with it among female students in the Universities of Saudi Arabia in the year of 2018. Method: A cross-sectional study design was used. The data was collected by administering questionnaires to the students. Results: The results indicated that students experienced moderate levels of stress and faced stressors from three sources: academic, social and financial, but mainly from the academic source. The levels of stress differed between different specialties with medical students scoring higher levels of stress than non-medical students. Coping with stress responses showed that sleeping was the preferred method for coping followed by surfing the Internet and watching TV. Conclusion: The stress level among students needs attention and intervention. Offering students counseling programs for social, academic and psychological stressors will help reduce the stress level and leave them in a healthy mental state.