1. Association of stress and emotional well-being in non-medical college students: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Author
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Ansari, Sameer, Khan, Irum, and Iqbal, Naved
- Subjects
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OVERPRESSURE (Education) , *STUDENT well-being , *WELL-being , *PSYCHOLOGICAL stress , *AFFECT (Psychology) - Abstract
Stress among college students is a well-explored area with profound implications for their emotional well-being. Despite extensive research, the literature presents inconsistent and mixed findings regarding its relationship with emotional well-being, particularly focusing on medical students. Moreover, there is no meta-analytic study to address this inconsistency. To bridge these gaps, this study conducts a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the nuanced association between stress among non-medical college students and their emotional well-being. The systematic review utilized databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, search engine: Google Scholar, and gray literature sources: ProQuest and Research Gate. The dataset consisted of 46 eligible studies (k), comprising 26,214 participants across 20 countries. The mean age was 21.86 (k = 32), with females constituting 60 % (k = 45). The majority of studies employed a cross-sectional/correlational design. The estimated pooled correlation is found to be −0.27 (95 % CI : −0.33, −0.21, p <.01; I 2 = 97.5 %, k = 46). Subgroup analysis revealed significant influences of the type of stress (p <.01), emotional well-being (p <.01), tools (p <.01) used, significance status of findings (p <.001), and demographic factors – country (p <.001) and income level (p <.05). The study found an inversely significant and moderate association between stress and emotional well-being in non-medical college students, consistent with existing literature. Significant moderation by study and demographic variables suggests substantial heterogeneity among studies, highlighting potential influences from demographics, methodologies, and populations. • Findings on stress among and emotional well-being among college students are with inconsistent literature. • No comprehensive meta-analysis to address this inconsistency is available. • The present meta-analysis shows moderate negative association between stress and emotional well-being (r = -0.27). • Significant influences of stress type, tools used for measurement, precision, and demographic factors are revealed. • This study underscores the importance of addressing stress among college students for their emotional well-being. • Further research could delve into specific stressors and interventions to mitigate their impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2025
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