Level of Covid-19-Related Threats and Stress in Students in the Context of Their Personality Traits: Support Expected and Help Received
Abstract
University studies during the COVID-19 pandemic are conditioned by many factors that evoke a sense of danger and stress. The purpose of the study was to investigate the situations during the COVID-19 pandemic perceived by students as threatening and to determine the relevance of students’ personality traits in their assessments of the threats and severity of stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Another aim of the research was to identify from whom they most frequently expect help in such situations. The following research problems were formulated. 1. Which situations related to the COVID-19 pandemic are rated most and least threatening by students? 2. Which personality traits described in the ‘Big Five’ theory (McCrae & Costa, 1987) protect students from experiencing grave threats and from experiencing higher stress in the COVID-19 pandemic? 3. What sources of support are received by students and offered by the University?
The study involved 149 first-year students of the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow. The survey was conducted in February 2021. The following research tools were used in the study: a short questionnaire for measuring the Big Five personality traits (IPIP-BFM-20), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the Questionnaire on Types of COVID-19-Related Threats (TCT).
The results of the study showed the importance of: 1. selected personality traits, such as emotional stability, extroversion and conscientiousness, for students’ assessment of the threat to the individual, and protection against the severity of stress experienced; 2. social support that young people receive from their loved ones, including mainly mothers and friends, and 3. support provided by the University.
References
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469–480. doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469
Bakker, A. B., Van Der Zee, K. I., Lewig, K. A., & Dollard, M. F. (2006). The relationship between the big five personality factors and burnout: A study among volunteer counselors. Journal of Social Psychology, 146(1), 31–50. doi: 10.3200/SOCP.146.1.31-50
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24(4), 385–396. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/2136404
Conrad, M. A., & Matthews, R. A. (2008). Modeling the stress process: Personality eclipses dysfunctional cognitions and workload in predicting stress. Personality and Individual Differences, 44(1), 171–181.
Długosz, P. (2020). Raport z II etapu badań studentów UP. Opinia na temat zdalnego nauczania i samopoczucia psychicznego [Report from the second stage of research conducted among students of the Pedagogical University of Krakow: Opinions about distance learning and mental well-being]. https://ifis.up.krakow.pl/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2020/06/Raport-Studenci-UP-II-etap.pdf
Dunkel-Schetter, C., & Bennett, T. L. (1990). Differentiating the cognitive and behavioral aspects of social support. In B. R. Sarason, I. G. Sarason, & G. R. Pierce (Eds.), Wiley series on personality processes. Social support: An interactional view (pp. 267–296). John Wiley & Sons.
Fayard, J. V., Roberts, B. W., Robbins, R. W., & Watson, D. (2012). Uncovering the affective core of conscientiousness: The role of self-conscious emotions. Journal of Personality, 81, 1–32. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2011.00720.x
Gartland, N., O’Connor, D. B., & Lawton, R. (2012). Effects of conscientiousness on the appraisals of daily stressors. Stress & Health, 28, 80–86. doi: 10.1002/smi.1404
Godawa, G. (2021). Sposoby radzenia sobie Lockdown Generation w czasie pandemii SARS-CoV-2. Implikacje edukacyjne [Coping strategies used by the lockdown generation during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: Educational implications]. In A. Klimska & M. Klimski (Eds.), Przyszłość polskiej szkoły: alert pedagogiczny (pp. 18–28). Adam Marszałek Publishing House.
Grzelak, S., & Żyro D. (2021). Jak wspierać uczniów po roku epidemii? Wyzwania i rekomendacje dla wychowania, profilaktyki i zdrowia psychicznego [How to support students after a year of epidemic? Challenges and recommendations for upbringing, prevention and mental health]. Instytut Profilaktyki Zintegrowanej.
Gurba, E., Senejko, A., Godawa, G., & Kalus, A. (2021). Closeness to parents and experiencing threats with COVID-19 mediates the link between personality and stress among adolescents. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(12), 6358. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18126358
Incubator of the University of Warsaw (2021). Nauczanie zdalne. Oswojenie (nie)znanego. Wpływ pandemii COVID-19 na szkolnictwo wyższe [Remote Learning. Taming the (Un)known. Impact of COVID-19 on higher education]. https://www.delab.uw.edu.pl/raporty/nauczanie-zdalne-oswojenie-nieznanego
Interdisciplinary Counselling Centre. (2020, December 14). Uczelnia bez barier Uniwersytetu Jana Pawła II w Krakowie [University Without Barriers at the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow]. https://uczelniabezbarier.upjp2.edu.pl/centrum-wsparcia/intersyscyplinarne-centrum-poradnictwa-3.html
Iskra, J. (2016). Trudności doświadczane przez studentów a ich obraz siebie [Difficulties experienced by university students and their self-image]. Scientific Bulletin of Chełm – Section of Pedagogy, 2, 46–53.
Izdebski, Z. (2020, October 27). Zdrowie, relacje w związkach i życie seksualne Polaków [Health, relationships between couples and sexual life of Poles]. University of Warsaw. https://www.uw.edu.pl/zdrowie-relacje-w-zwiazkach-i-zycie-seksualne-polakow
Juczyński, Z., & Ogińska-Bulik N. (2009). NPSR – Narzędzia Pomiaru Stresu i Radzenia Sobie ze Stresem [Tools for measuring and coping with stress]. Pracownia Testów Psychologicznych Polskiego Towarzystwa Psychologicznego.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal and coping. Springer.
Lenkiewicz, K., Srebnicki, T., & Bryńska, A. (2016). Mechanizmy kształtujące rozwój osobowości i jej zaburzeń u dzieci i młodzieży [Mechanisms shaping the development of personality and personality disorders in children and adolescents]. Psychiatria Polska, 50(3), 621–629. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.12740/PP/36180
Luthar, S. S., Crossman, E. J., & Small, P. J. (2015). Resilience and adversity. In R. M. Lerne & M. E. Lamb (Eds.), Handbook of Child Psychology and Developmental Science (7th ed., Vol. 3, pp. 247–286). John Wiley & Sons.
Łukaszewski, B. (2020). Strategie adaptacyjne polskiej młodzieży w sytuacji izolacji społecznej [Adaptative strategies of Polish youths in social isolation]. Społeczeństwo, kultura, wartości, 17–18, 1–9. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350322212_Strategie_adaptacyjne-polskiej-mlodziezy_w_sytuacji_izolacji_spolecznej
Maślanka, E., Mroczka, D., Ostrowska, A., Szczupaj, A., & Wit, J. (2013). Rola uczelni w procesie adaptacji studentów pierwszego roku [The role of the university in the process of adaptation of first-year students]. In L. Gajos (Ed.), Studencka Konferencja Naukowa (pp. 1044–1056). WSPiA Publishing House.
McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1987). Validation of the Five Factor model of personality across instruments and observers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 81–90. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.52.1.81
Ministry of Education and Science. (2020, November 26). Środowiskowe wytyczne dotyczące działalności uczelni w roku akademickim 2020/21 w związku ze stanem epidemii w Polsce [Environmental guidelines for the activity of universities in the 2020–21 academic year due to the epidemic in Poland]. https://www.gov.pl/web/edukacja-i-nauka/srodowiskowe-wytyczne-dotyczace-dzialalnosci-uczelni-w-roku-akademickim-20202021
More In Common. (2020). Wpływ COVID-19 na społeczeństwo [The impact of COVID-19 on society]. https://www.moreincommon.com/media/p4hmctco/more-in-common-the-new-normal-poland-pl.pdf
Murphy, M. L. M., Miller, G. E., & Wrosch, C. (2012). Conscientiousness and stress exposure and reactivity: A prospective study of adolescent females. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 36(2), 153–164. doi: 10.1007/s10865-012-9408-2
Pawlina, K. (2020). Wszechobecne komunikatory – łączą czy izolują? [Ubiquitous communicators – do they connect or isolate?] In Nauczanie po pandemii. Nowe pytania czy nowe odpowiedzi na stare pytania? (Mark Dietrich Institute of Contemporary Civilization Problems Series, pp. 111–116). SGGW Publishing House.
Penley, J. A., & Tomaka, J. (2002). Associations among the Big Five, emotional responses and coping with acute stress. Personality and Individual Differences, 32(7), 1215–1128. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(01)00087-3
Petrie, C., Aladin, K., Ranjan, P., Javangwe, R., Gilliland, D., Tuominen, S., & Lasse, L. (2020). Spotlight: Quality education for all during COVID-19 crisis [hundrED Research Report #01]. United Nations. https://hundred.org/en/collections/qualityeducation-for-all-during-coronavirus
Pokhrel, S., & Chhetri, R. (2021). A literature review on impact of COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and learning. Higher Education for the Future, 8(1), 133–141. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/2347631120983481
Steinberg, L. (2008). Adolescence (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Topolewska, E., Skimina, E., Strus, W., Cieciuch, J., & Rowiński, T. (2014). Krótki kwestionariusz do pomiaru Wielkiej Piątki IPIP-BFM-20 [The short IPIP-BFM-20 questionnaire for measuring the Big Five]. Roczniki Psychologiczne, 17(2), 367–402.
Trempała, W., Pazderska, A., & Rajek, M. (2016). Młodzi dorośli wobec współczesnych zagrożeń dla bezpieczeństwa – refleksje empiryczne [Attitudes of young adults towards modern threats to safety: Empirical reflections]. In F. Pierzchalski & J. Golinowski (Eds.), Socjotechnika lęku w polityce (pp. 353–388). UKW Publishing House.
University Without Barriers. (2020). Uczelnia bez barier Uniwersytetu Jana Pawła II w Krakowie. uczelniabezbarier.upjp2.edu.pl
Wojtczuk, A. (2020). Pandemia koronawirusa – zmiana w świecie. Zagrożenia dla zdrowia psychicznego i szanse rozwojowe [The pandemic – change in the world: Mental health hazards and development opportunities]. Student niepełnosprawny. Szkice i rozprawy, 20(13), 101–113. doi: 10.34739/sn.2020.20.10
World Health Organization. (2020, March 12). WHO announces COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.
Copyright (c) 2023 Grzegorz Godawa, Ewa Gurba, Katarzyna Kutek-Sładek
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
- The Author/Authors agree(s) to publish the article free of charge in Multidisciplinary Journal of School Education in English or Spanish. The Editorial Board reserves the right to shorten the texts and change the titles.
- As part of free publication mentioned in § 1, the Author/Authors agrees to make the full electronic version of their article available in the Internet.
- The Author/Authors agrees to index their article in databases at home and abroad, including abstracts and keywords as well as Author's/Authors’ affiliation in English and in other languages. The Author/Authors agrees to pass on the information mentioned above to the owners of these databases.
- The Author/Authors declares that their publication is original and does not include borrowings from other works which might cause Publisher's responsibility, does not infringe the rights of the third party and that their copyright on this publication is not limited. The Author/Authors will incur all the costs and will pay compensations which might result from the mendacity of the following statement.
- The Author/Authors declares to bear complete responsibility for the scientific reliability of the article submitted. The detailed contribution of all co-authors is defined.
- The Author/Authors declares to publish the text in the Multidisciplinary Journal of School Education under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-ND 4.0).
- For more than one author, please complete the Authorship Contributions and send it to the editorial office. Please indicate the specific contributions made by each author (list the authors’ initials, e.g., JKH). Please download, complete, scan and attach the file in the system during the submission process.
Authors Statement - Authorship Contributions
