Trait anxiety and stress level among university students and teachers: A comparative study

Abstract

Objectives: Variations in work-related stress, anxiety, and physical activity levels have been seen with an emphasis on sex differences. This cross-sectional study was designed to report the gender difference in stress dynamics, trait anxiety, and physical activity and propose a framework for finding out the source causing these differences. Hence, the aim of the study is to find out the comparison of these variables between teachers and students. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was designed which analyzed 120 participants consisting of teachers of assistant professors grade (n = 60) and students (n = 60) from various teaching departments in Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Further these subjects were categorized into male and female participants. For which, validated questionnaires and methods were used to measure stress and anxiety among these group of participants. Physical activity levels were also measured with a questionnaire focusing on lifestyle. Results: The perceived stress measured by the Perceived Stress Scale-14 and trait anxiety measured by the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, did not show any significant differences between female participants (37.54 ± 7.27 and 38.85 ± 7.02, respectively) as compared to male participants (37.91 ± 7.11 and 38.14 ± 5.85, respectively). However, higher physical activity expenditure was observed in male students as compared to their female counterparts, which is measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire in metabolic equivalent (MET) (3293 ± 1698 and 2234 ± 1674, respectively). Conclusion: Teachers had higher trait anxiety than students. A student shows a higher level of stress and MET values than a teacher. Female teachers showed a higher level of trait anxiety and stress than male teachers but had a lesser value of MET than male teachers. Female students shows greater anxiety level whereas male students shows increased stress level as compared to their respective counterparts. Male students had a higher value of MET.

Keywords

• gender difference
• perceived stress
• physical activity
• trait anxiety