THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ACADEMIC STRESS AND SLEEP QUALITY IN NEW UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

Academic stress is a significant common challenge that often affects students' well-being, particularly those who are new to university life. Pressure from the study load, academic assignments, and worries about evaluation results frequently interfere with sleep patterns, potentially leading to a decrease in their sleep quality. This study aims to determine the relationship between academic stress and sleep quality infreshmen. Freshmen tend to face various academic demands that can cause stress and impact their sleep quality. The hypothesis in this study is a negative relationship between academic stress and sleep quality. This study involved 110 freshmen selected using a purposive sampling technique. Data were collected using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to measure sleep quality and an academic stress scale modified from previous research. The data analysis technique used Pearson correlation. The results showed a significant negative relationship between academic stress and sleep quality with a correlation coefficient of -0.386 (p < 0.05). This means that the higher the level of academic stress experienced by students, the lower their sleep quality. This finding emphasizes the importance of managing academic stress to maintain sleep quality in freshmen.