P-ISSN: 2808-5957

E-ISSN: 2808-6724

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PERCEIVED STRESS, SELF-EFFICACY, AND MENTAL HEALTH OF

THE FIRST-YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS DURING COVID-19

PANDEMIC

Rona M. Guillena

, Junge B. Guillena

Medical Social Worker, Adventist Medical Center, Iligan, Philippines

Faculty, General Education Department, Adventist Medical Center College, Iligan, Philippines

rsw.rguillena261984@gmail.com

jun28guillena@gmail.com

ARTICLE INFO

ABSTRACT

Published: November 30

2022

This study determined the relationship between the perceived stress and the

mental health of the first-year college students in Adventist Medical Center

College Iligan, Philippines for the Academic Year 2021-2022. This study

also assessed the moderating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship

between college students' perceived stress and mental health. The random

sample of 208 first-year college students who were officially enrolled and

those who took the online class modality for the first semester of 2021-2022.

This study utilized a cross-sectional survey design and descriptive-

correlation design with the application of moderated regression analysis.

Results showed that perceived stress is a significant predictor of mental

health. At the same time, self-efficacy does not offer any moderated effect

on the relationship between perceived stress and the respondents' mental

health. Thus, the perceived stress harms the students' mental health.

Keywords: stress, mental health,

self-efficacy, COVID-19 pandemic

This work is licensed under CC

BY-SA 4.0

INTRODUCTION

Mental health is one of the critical factors in a person's health (Hadavi et al., 2014).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is the absence of any mental

disorders accompanied by a state of social welfare and health (Jazayeri, 2003). It consisted of

several multifaceted factors and the interaction between physical, emotional, psychological, and

social agents (Kim, 2003). Among these essential factors are perceived stress and self-efficacy.

Stress is considered a primary challenge for several first-year college students. It could be

associated with several adverse psychological and physical problems that affect the emotional and

cognitive domain of the students and could also be resulted in weakening their immune system

(Putterman, 2012). The current study conducted by AlAteeq et al. (2020) showed that sampled

students in KSA experienced high to moderate stress levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. This

outcome can result from the mandatory curfew time and shifting physical class set-up to modular

or distance learning. Further, several students experienced stress and anxiety since they are afraid

of being infected by the coronavirus and are open to fictitious information from unreliable sources.

They are more likely to get mental health problems and other possible psychiatric disorders

(Ketphan et al., 2020). However, Lin and Chen (2009) pointed out that stress is not necessarily

wrong; in fact, appropriate focus is one of the motivations for college students to improve. Thus,

it plays an indispensable role in the health of the students.

In addition, Bandura (1977) defined self-efficacy as one's perspectives, expectations,

beliefs, ideas, and judgments that they could successfully perform a given behavior. He further

Perceived Stress, Self-Efficacy, and Mental Health of the First-Year College Students during COVID-

19 Pandemic

2006 | I n d o n e s i a n J o u r n a l o f M u l t i d i s c i p l i n a r y S c i e n c e , 2 ( 2 ) , N o v ,

2022

stated that self-efficacy could influence people's behavior and behavior change. In short, self-

efficacy relates to many work-related or personal-related behaviors (Eden & Aviram, 1993).

Bavojdan et al. (2011) found that increased self-efficacy and problem-oriented coping strategies

will improve mental health. On the other hand, decreased level of self-efficacy would lead to

decreased mental health. Students with low self-efficacy have a low level of aspirations, resulting

in intense academic performances (Bandura, 1977; Margolis and McCabe, 2006). As noted by

Fencl and Scheel (2005), teaching strategies made a significant contribution to the self-efficacy

level of the students.

According to Kecojevic et al. (2020) indicated that students have a fundamental knowledge

of COVID-19 transmission and joint symptoms. Students tend to use and trust the official sources

and have changed their behaviors following public health recommendations. But some students

reported several academic and everyday difficulties and high levels of mental health distress. High

levels of depression were related to problems in focusing on academic work. In contrast, higher

levels of anxiety were more likely to be reported by students other than first-year students and

those who spend more than one hour per day looking for information on COVID-19. Due to the

growing concerns related to the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of college students,

this study explored the effect of perceived stress and self-efficacy on the mental health of first-

year students. Also, this study uniquely investigated the moderated effect of self-efficacy on the

relationship between perceived stress and mental health.

METHOD

This study utilized a cross-sectional survey design disseminated from the 2

until the 27

day of December 2021 during the pandemic crisis due to coronavirus disease. A sample of 208

officially enrolled first-year students in Adventist Medical Center College Iligan for the first

semester of 2021-2022. The current study considered both male and female students aged 17-32

years old. An online google form survey was distributed to first-year students using the simple

random sampling method. With the first-year college students as the target respondents, the google

link was sent to them through their email add or Facebook messenger.

The survey form formatted into google form consisted of three components: first, the

perceived stress scale (PSS) of Cohen et al. (1983). The author revealed it to have sufficient

reliability on a college-aged sample (ɑ = 0.84 – 0.86). The instrument consisted of ten indicators

used to assess the perception of stress experienced by the respondents over the last month. It

considers a 5-point Likert-type scale that considers responses from never (0) to very often (4). PSS

scores were computed by reversing responses (e.g. 0=4, 1=3, 2=2, 3=1 & 4=0) to the four

positively stated items (items 4 ,5, 7, & 8) and then summing across all scale items. High total

scores tell a high level of stress, whereas a low score indicates a low level of stress.

Further, the second component is the self-efficacy inventory of Wang (1999); Shi & Wang

(2005). High scores indicate a high level of self-efficacy, and a low score means a low level of

self-efficacy. The third component of the survey is all about the mental health inventory (Veit and

Ware, 1983). The instrument has an 18-item version with four subscales (anxiety, depression,

Perceived Stress, Self-Efficacy, and Mental Health of the First-Year College Students during COVID-

19 Pandemic

2007 | I n d o n e s i a n J o u r n a l o f M u l t i d i s c i p l i n a r y S c i e n c e , 2 ( 2 ) , N o v ,

2022

behavioral control, and positive affect) that considers scoring ranges from 0-to 100, with higher

scores indicating better mental health. Higher scores of anxiety, depression, and behavior control

indicate a lower level of anxiety, depression, and loss of behavior control. A high score of positive

affect suggests a high level of positive affect.

Considering the data gathering protocol, the researcher formulated a consent form stating the

ethical rule of conducting research online and stated the purpose and significance of the current

study. The questionnaire was primarily encoded in the google form, and the link was posted on the

Moodle platform, where the respondents could access the survey form for 2-3 weeks. After that,

survey forms were not accepted. They were clicking the google form link transmitted potential

respondents to a webpage composed of a consent form and survey forms of perceived stress, self-

efficacy, and mental health inventory. All fields were mandatory to be answered except for their

names. No more respondents can withdraw from the study once they have completed the online

google form.

Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation for

the study variables. The basis for the scores was done by summing the associated scores to obtain

a total score. An Independent T-test was used for testing the differences in the study variables by

gender. Further, Correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationship between the study

variables. Also, Moderated regression analysis was utilized to test the moderating effect of self-

efficacy on the relationship between the stress and mental health of the respondents.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

For the statistical results based on the sample data gathered, the presentation systematically

followed through with the study's objectives. Table 1 presents the results of the descriptive

statistics on the respondents' perceived stress, self-efficacy, and mental health.

Table 1. Descriptive Statistics on Perceived Stress, Self-Efficacy, and Mental Health

Variables

All Respondents

Male Group

Female Group

Mean

Perceived Stress

208

24.42

5.03

23.23

5.52

168

24.70

4.88

Self-efficacy

208

73.22

9.51

70.35

9.96

168

73.90*

9.30

Mental Health

(overall)

208

45.66

14.58

49.81*

13.40

168

44.67

14.71

Anxiety

208

37.21

18.25

42.90*

15.13

168

35.86

18.70

Positive Affect

208

55.26

19.90

56.25

18.73

168

55.03

20.21

Depression

208

42.96

17.58

49.80**

18.36

168

41.33

17.04

Behavior

Control

208

49.98

16.27

52.00

15.35

168

49.49

16.48

Note: Comparison analysis is based on Independent T-test

*-significant at 0.05 level **-significant at 0.01 level

Perceived Stress, Self-Efficacy, and Mental Health of the First-Year College Students during COVID-

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2008 | I n d o n e s i a n J o u r n a l o f M u l t i d i s c i p l i n a r y S c i e n c e , 2 ( 2 ) , N o v ,

2022

The result shows that the respondents have a moderate level of stress (M=24.42, SD=5.03),

and the male and female respondents have a comparable level of stress. Current studies showed

that no perceived stress differences occurred between gender. Both genders showed the same

degree of appraisal in one's life as stressful (Cohen, 1983). Students perceive similarly, regardless

of their sex differences, their feelings and thoughts during the last months, and how frequently

they felt a certain way. Previous findings revealed the opposite that the female students reported

higher perceptions of stressors in frustrations, pressures, and changes.

In contrast, male students reported having higher behavioral and cognitive reactions to stress

than female students (Hamaideh, 2010). The study by Dixon and Kurpius (2008) showed that

women reported higher college stress than men, whereas sex and self-esteem accounted for 13.8%

of the variance in pressure. According to Harutyunyan et al. (2020), male students experience

higher stress levels, but their perceived stress level is much lower than females. As noted, the

findings of the previous studies showed that males and females have different perceived stress

levels as Yan et al. (2021) depicted those males and females differed significantly in adapting to

the current pandemic conditions and the need for psychological support services. Thus, Dy et al.

(2019) pointed out that Filipino male students reacted to stress more in affective responses while

female students through cognitive responses.

On the level of self-efficacy, the respondents had a higher level of self-efficacy (M=73.22,

SD=9.51). In contrast, female respondents had a higher self-efficacy level (M=73.90, SD=9.30)

than male respondents (M=70.35, SD=9.96). Females manifested a higher level of self-efficacy

than males. They showed that females have a more heightened sense of perspectives of academic

motivation, less concentration on life's failure, more driven to challenging tasks, and more

confidence in dealing with life's difficulties. This result is consistent with the findings of Salwa &

Mansor (2013) that males and females have incomparable self-efficacy, where female students

have higher general self-efficacy than their male students among the 489 secondary students in

Malaysia.

In contrast, Villas (2019) study showed no significant differences in self-efficacy of Grade

11 Filipino senior high school students across sexes, saying that one's self-efficacy is not attributed

to sex. The authors noted that both sexes are equally confident in performing academic and health-

related tasks. But inconsistent with the findings of Gota (2012) that there were no significant

differences among female and male students in their academic self-efficacy among Ethiopian

students.

For the findings on mental health, the respondents manifested nearly average levels of

mental health (M=45.66, SD=14.58) were no statistical differences in mental health levels

between gender. As to the components of mental health, male respondents have lower anxiety

(M=42.90, SD=15.13) than female respondents (M=35.86, SD=18.70). Further, the result

depicted that the male respondents had lower depression levels than male respondents. There was

no statistical difference in behavior control between male and female respondents. During

adolescence, girls have a much higher prevalence of depression than boys.

Perceived Stress, Self-Efficacy, and Mental Health of the First-Year College Students during COVID-

19 Pandemic

2009 | I n d o n e s i a n J o u r n a l o f M u l t i d i s c i p l i n a r y S c i e n c e , 2 ( 2 ) , N o v ,

2022

In contrast, boys engaged with more problems with anger involved in high-risk behaviors

frequently than girls, and the prevalence of anxiety is much higher in women than in men during

their adulthood (WHO, 2002). A previous study by Gitay and colleagues (2019) revealed that

anxiety had been more common in females than males. The result of Kourus et al. (2017) also

manifested that sex has no association with the mental health of college students.

Table 2. Correlation Matrix of the Perceived Stress, Self-Efficacy and Mental Health

Variables

Perceived Stress

Self-Efficacy

Mental Health

Perceived Stress

Self-Efficacy

0.223**

(0.001)

Mental Health

-0.380**

(0.001)

-0.015

(0.832)

Note: Analysis is based on Pearson Correlation **-significant at 0.01 level

Table 2 reveals that perceived stress and self-efficacy are highly correlated (r=0.223,

p=0.001). Further, the perceived stress is negatively correlated to the respondents' mental health

(r=-0.380, p=0.001). However, there was no statistically significant correlation between self-

efficacy and the respondents' mental health (r=-0.015, p=0.832). Students with a high level of

stress will have poor mental health status (Pedersen, 2012). This result signified a students' ability

to function well in an academic setting. To boost the students' mental health, they need to have

robust coping mechanisms to lower their stress levels.

Table 3. Moderated Regression Analysis with Mental Health

Variable

Model 1

Model 2

Perceived Stress (PS)

-5.777

0.963

-0.396**

-5.658

0.960

-0.388**

Self-Efficacy (SE)

1.073

0.963

0.074

1.411

0.977

0.097

Interaction (PS x SE)

1.518

0.856

0.117

0.150

0.162

∆R

0.150

0.013

18.017**

13.186**

Note: *p < 0.05 **p < 0.01

Table 3 depicts that perceived stress is negatively associated with mental health (𝛽=-0.396,

p<0.001), while self-efficacy is not significantly associated with the mental health of the

respondents (𝛽=0.074, p>0.05) in Model 1. Regression model 1 is significant (F=18.017,

p<0.001), suggesting that perceived stress is essential for mental health. Model 1 reflected that

15% of the total variance of mental health accounted for the predictors. Further, for predictor-

moderator regression model (Model 2) revealed that perceived stress (𝛽=-0.388, p<0.001) is still

Perceived Stress, Self-Efficacy, and Mental Health of the First-Year College Students during COVID-

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2010 | I n d o n e s i a n J o u r n a l o f M u l t i d i s c i p l i n a r y S c i e n c e , 2 ( 2 ) , N o v ,

2022

the sole significant predictor of mental health. At the same time, self-efficacy does not moderately

affect the association between perceived stress and mental health (p>0.05). Regression model 2 is

significant (F=13.186, p<0.001). This result suggested that perceived stress is the consistent

predictor of mental health and self-efficacy as the proposed moderator of the relationship between

perceived stress and mental health was not significant. Students' stress can affect mental health in

several ways. Students with high-stress levels tend to have more days of low or poor mental health.

It can affect the students' ability to function well in an academic. According to Dyson and Renk

(2006), high-stress levels are found to cause symptoms of anxiety and depression. Anxiety and

depression are alarming mental health concerns that can impact a student's ability to be successful

in a college environment (Chien, 2015). For the moderation analysis, self-efficacy does not

significantly moderate the relationship between first-year college students' stress and mental

health. Thus, the results (Model 1 and 2) observed that perceived stress is a consistent predictor of

mental health regardless of the level of self-efficacy reported by the students.

CONCLUSION

The current study concluded that female students have higher self-reported self-efficacy

levels than male students but significantly higher anxiety and depression levels, the sub-domains

of mental health, as compared to males. Male students have better overall mental health as

compared to female students. Both genders displayed comparable perceived stress levels. The

students with high-stress levels would tend to manifest low mental health status. Self-efficacy has

no moderation effect on the association between the sampled students' perceived stress and mental

health. Students' perceived stress was negatively associated with mental health regardless of their

low or high self-efficacy level.

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