Date of Defense

4-21-2021

Date of Graduation

5-2021

Department

Biological Sciences

First Advisor

Michele McGrady

Second Advisor

Cindy Linn

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of stress and anxiety on undergraduate in-state, out-of-state, and international students. The current statistics on stress and anxiety in college students in general is mind blowing. Almost 50% of college students say they have moderate levels of stress and 25% of college students say that they have high stress levels. In addition, 44% of students struggle with depression and 50% struggle with anxiety. These have a direct correlation with their sleep habits as well. With these statistics in mind, the goal of this study was to see the statistically significant difference in stress and anxiety levels between in-state and out-of-state students. Students were recruited through campus courses and sent an anonymous survey through Qualtrics; 106 responses were collected. Results indicated students are experiencing high levels of perceived stress and low to moderate levels of state anxiety. There were no between group differences on the measures of perceived stress, state anxiety, and sleep habits. These results let us know that undergraduate students at Western Michigan University are stressed, exhausted, and not satisfied with their sleep. Limitations of the current study include COVID-19, limited variation among student participants, and short time frame. Future research is encouraged to broaden the scope of students to include more diversity in all areas. Those who work at universities can use these results to improve resources available to students to help with stress levels and sleep habits.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

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