CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Stress is one of the most pervasive problems in human life. It has been a recurring theme in management development programmes, seminars and workshops in Nigeria for several decades, and the reasons for this attention are easy to see. No one is immune: young and old, rich and poor, professionals and non-professionals can all find themselves in situations that induce stress. Stress is also widely seen as a by-product of growth and development. Traditional ways of coping with the strains of living are weakening under rapid urban growth, increasingly regimented work and study routines, the erosion of social support, personal and group conflict, and threats to life and property. The frustrations, disappointments and pressures of daily life are the starting point of stress, which has become part of life in human societies.

1.1.1 Conceptual Clarification

Stress. Stress has been described in many ways, but most definitions share one idea: it arises from an interaction between an individual and the environment. A person experiences it when the demands of work, study, family or other circumstances strain or exceed the physical, emotional or mental resources available to meet them. The interaction can occur anywhere, including at school, at work or in the home. When someone faces a threatening or disturbing situation, a change in normal behaviour is usually noticeable. The person may experience emotional, cognitive and physiological disruption that impairs concentration and judgement. The event or condition that triggers the reaction is called a stressor. In this study, stress refers to a condition in which a person becomes prone to anxiety, depression, anger, hostility, feelings of inadequacy and low frustration tolerance. Anxiety is a state of nervousness or worry; depression is a state of deep sadness and hopelessness; anger is a strong reaction to something perceived as bad or unfair; hostility is unfriendly or aggressive feeling or behaviour; inadequacy is the feeling of being unable to deal with a situation; and frustration arises when something prevents a person from succeeding.

Stress management and coping. Stress management is the process by which a person handles demands that are judged to be taxing or beyond his or her resources. It involves deliberate efforts to restore and maintain psychological and physiological balance. No single technique works for every person in every situation, and stress management strategies are best understood as the methods people use to deal with stressful or disturbing situations. Some strategies are effective, such as relaxation, exercise, meditation, discussion with others and positive thinking, while others, such as overeating, drug and alcohol misuse and aggression, may bring short-term relief but cause harm in the longer term. Because blocking out every stressful life event is neither possible nor desirable, the aim of stress management is to build the capacity to adapt rather than to remove all demands. In this study, “coping” and “stress management strategies” are used interchangeably.

Coping strategies are commonly grouped into two types. In problem-focused coping, the person tries to reduce stress by changing the situation that causes it, for example by making new plans or finding a better way of correcting the problem. In emotion-focused coping, the person leaves the situation as it is and works on his or her feelings about it, for example by thinking positively or by avoiding the problem altogether.

Behaviour problems. In this study, behaviour problems refer to patterns of conduct that depart from socially and institutionally accepted norms and interfere with a student’s functioning and well-being. They include aggression, substance misuse, withdrawal, truancy and other disruptive or maladaptive conduct.

1.1.2 Theoretical Orientation

The study draws on two models of stress. The first is the transactional model of Lazarus and Folkman, which focuses on the transaction between a person and the environment. In this model, stress results from how a stressor is appraised and from how the person appraises his or her resources for coping with it. Stressors are the events or conditions that provoke a stress response, and for undergraduates they may include examinations, financial pressure, inadequate facilities, accommodation and transport difficulties, and insecurity.

The second is the health realisation (innate health) model. It holds that stress does not automatically follow the presence of a potential stressor. Instead of focusing on a person’s appraisal of stressors in relation to his or her coping skills, as the transactional model does, it focuses on the nature of thought, and argues that a person’s thought process ultimately determines the response to a potentially stressful circumstance.

1.1.3 Factors Influencing Stress Management

Personal characteristics such as gender and age may influence the strategies people choose. A Nigerian study of university undergraduates found a significant difference between male and female students in their coping strategies (Okorie, 2016). The preferred strategies of undergraduates are therefore likely to differ across personal characteristics.

1.1.4 Stress among Nigerian Undergraduates

Nigerian research shows that undergraduates face a wide range of stressors and use a wide range of coping strategies. A survey of built environment students at a Nigerian university examined the causes of academic stress and identified 30 coping strategies, of which six were rated as important (Dada et al., 2019). A study of university undergraduates in Kwara State found that transportation was the leading source of stress, and that relaxation, lifestyle and meditation strategies were each positively related to academic performance (Omosidi & Jamiu, 2019). Among nursing undergraduates at a public university, coping style was a significant predictor of academic performance, whereas academic stress on its own was not (Jafaru & Afolabi, 2023). These findings suggest that the way students cope may matter at least as much as the amount of stress they report.

The present study focuses on undergraduates in Ogun State. Undergraduates carry heavy academic and personal demands: coursework and examinations, financial and accommodation pressures, and the transition to independent living. Their stress management strategies, and the link between stress and behaviour problems, are therefore important to understand.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Stress is among the problems that continue to threaten the academic goals of undergraduates in tertiary institutions. It is a recognised public health concern and a major area of research in medicine, psychology and education. It can drive people to behave constructively or destructively, and it affects them physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually. Individual responses differ, and they are shaped partly by personality. Stress is not limited to the workplace; it is equally common in educational settings, and it tends to grow as societies modernise and industrialise.

Every educational institution has its own stressors. For undergraduates in Nigeria these may include writing projects with limited materials, unreliable water and electricity, examinations held in less than ideal conditions, transport difficulties and food insecurity. The Nigerian studies reviewed above show that stress and coping are linked to academic outcomes (Dada et al., 2019; Jafaru & Afolabi, 2023; Omosidi & Jamiu, 2019). Students who cope poorly may also be less motivated and less productive, and may be more vulnerable to behaviour problems such as substance misuse and aggression. If these problems go unaddressed, institutions find it harder to achieve their academic goals.

The empirical literature on Nigerian undergraduates has concentrated mainly on stress, coping and academic performance. Evidence on how stress relates to behaviour problems among undergraduates in Ogun State remains limited in the literature reviewed. This study therefore assesses the relationship between stress and behaviour problems among undergraduates in Ogun State, and the outcome is expected to support policy on mental health care and stress management on campuses.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of the study is to assess the relationship between stress and behaviour problems among undergraduates in Ogun State. Specifically, the study seeks to find out:

1. the sources of stress among undergraduates in Ogun State;
2. the stress management strategies preferred by undergraduates in Ogun State;
3. how the preferred stress management strategies of undergraduates in Ogun State differ by personal characteristics; and
4. the effects of stress on the behaviour patterns and academic performance of undergraduates in Ogun State.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study:

1. What are the sources of stress among undergraduates in Ogun State?
2. What stress management strategies do undergraduates in Ogun State prefer?
3. How do the preferred stress management strategies of undergraduates in Ogun State differ by personal characteristics?
4. What are the effects of stress on the behaviour patterns and academic performance of undergraduates in Ogun State?

1.5 Significance of the Study

The study will be useful in several ways. First, it will provide information on the sources of stress among undergraduates in Ogun State. Ministries of Education and institutional administrators can use this information to address the areas where stress originates, which should improve students’ well-being and productivity. Studies of Nigerian undergraduates already recommend improving hostel accommodation, transport and other facilities, relaxation centres and flexible academic arrangements to reduce student stress (Dada et al., 2019; Omosidi & Jamiu, 2019).

Second, the study will provide information on the stress management strategies that undergraduates prefer. The Ministry of Health, working with university health and counselling services, can use it to plan health promotion programmes that students can use to their own advantage. Better health helps students to carry out their academic tasks, whereas poor health lowers productivity and leads to lost study time.

Third, the findings will give researchers a basis for further work on stress and behaviour problems among undergraduates in Nigeria.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is delimited to undergraduates of Babcock University, Ogun State, Nigeria. It investigates their sources of stress, the stress management strategies they prefer, and the relationship between their stress and behaviour problems.

References

Dada, J. O., Babatunde, S. O., & Adeleye, R. O. (2019). Assessment of academic stress and coping strategies among built environment undergraduate students in Nigerian higher education. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 11(3), 367–378. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-06-2018-0100

Jafaru, Y., & Afolabi, E. K. (2023). Academic stress and stress coping style in nursing undergraduates: Predictors of academic performance in a public tertiary institution in Nigeria. Research and Development in Medical Education, 12, 4. https://doi.org/10.34172/rdme.2023.33074

Okorie, A. (2016). Relationships among stress, coping strategies and academic achievement of university undergraduate students in Imo and Kaduna States, Nigeria [Doctoral thesis, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria]. Kashim Ibrahim Library Repository. https://kubanni.abu.edu.ng/items/5baefb4b-331a-4798-99a9-d987fdfe62b9/full

Omosidi, A. S., & Jamiu, K. S. (2019). Stress management strategies and academic performance of university undergraduates in Kwara State, Nigeria. Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 6(1). https://tehqeeqat.org/english/articleDetails/2357