Assessment of Academic Stress and Self-Esteem among the students in Covid-19 Pandemic in Selected Schools, West Bengal

Introduction: A descriptive study aimed to assess academic stress and self-esteem among students during the COVID-19 pandemic in selected schools in West Bengal. The study's objectives included evaluating the levels of academic stress and self-esteem, exploring the correlation between the two, and determining the association of these variables with selected demographic factors. Methodology: The conceptual framework was grounded in Richard Lazarus and Folk man’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. A total of 100 students were selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire for background information, the Modified Academic Stress Scale based on Kim's (1970) framework to measure academic stress, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale for self-esteem assessment. Result: Results indicated that 76% of students experienced moderate academic stress, while 10% reported high stress and 14% low stress; additionally, 51% of the students exhibited normal self-esteem, whereas 49% had low self-esteem. A negative correlation (r = -0.38) was identified between academic stress and self-esteem, suggesting that increased academic stress correlates with lower self-esteem. Statistically significant associations were found between academic stress and self-esteem with demographic variables such as family type, father's educational level, and monthly family income at a 0.05 significance level. Discussion: A significant relationship was also noted between mothers' occupations and academic stress at the same level of significance. The findings underscore the implications for nursing practice and suggest that further research with larger samples and diverse settings is warranted to enhance generaizability.