Stress, Self-Regulation, and Physical Activity Towards Quality of Life Among Senior Year Health Science Undergraduates

Authors

  • Arimi Fitri Mat Ludin Center for Healthy Ageing and Wellness, HCARE, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
  • Ahmad Rashidi Mohamed Tahir Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Cyberjaya, Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Faisal Malau Ahmad Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi Selangor Malaysia
  • Najwa Suhaili Zin Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi Selangor Malaysia
  • Nurnadiah Ahmad Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi Selangor Malaysia
  • Nur Mashitoh Ismail Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi Selangor Malaysia
  • Nurul Hidayah Mustafa Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi Selangor Malaysia
  • Samihah Aslamiah Ahmad Najdi Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi Selangor Malaysia
  • Farah Wahida Ibrahim Center for Toxicology and Health Risk Study, CORE, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
  • Nor Malia Abd Warif Center for Toxicology and Health Risk Study, CORE, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
  • Ismarulyusda Ishak Center for Toxicology and Health Risk Study, CORE, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Keywords:

physical activity, quality of life, self-regulation, stress

Abstract

Final-year university students experience considerable stress due to academic demands, high expectations, and challenges such as online learning, emotional self-regulation, and physical inactivity. Prolonged stress significantly impacts students' behaviors, influencing their quality of life (QoL), which encompasses physical, mental, and social well-being. Emotion regulation and physical activity are crucial factors for mitigating stress and enhancing overall well-being. This study aimed to explore the relationships between perceived stress, physical activity, emotional self-regulation, and their combined influence on QoL among senior-year Health Sciences students at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 135 senior-year students from ten Health Sciences programs, selected through stratified random sampling. Data collection employed validated self-administered questionnaires, including the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ), Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ), and WHO QOL-BREF. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression were conducted using SPSS to examine the relationships and predictive effects of the variables on QoL. Descriptive analysis revealed notable trends in stress, physical activity, and QoL levels. Correlation analysis indicated significant associations between perceived stress, self-regulation, and physical activity, with each factor contributing to students' overall QoL. Multiple regression analysis highlighted self-regulation and physical activity as critical predictors of QoL, while stress negatively impacted well-being. This study underscores the pivotal role of emotional self-regulation and physical activity in enhancing QoL among senior-year students. Strategies to improve self-regulation skills and encourage regular physical activity may effectively reduce stress and promote holistic well-being during critical academic phases.

References

American Psychological Association. Stress by gender. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2012/gender-report.pdf. [31 October 2024].

Aubrey, L. L., Brown, J. M., & Miller, W. R. (1994). Psychometric properties of a self-regulation questionnaire (SRQ). Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 18(2): 420

Back, K. W. (2015). The level of participation and attitude of school physical education and the relationship with academic stress, ego-resilience and psychological wellbeing of high school students. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 8(15): 1-6. https://doi.org/10.17485/ijst/2015/v8i24/80156

Beauregard, M., Paquette, V., & Le, J. (2006). Dysfunction in the neural circuitry of emotional self-regulation in major depressive disorder. Neuroreport, 17(8), 843-846. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.wnr.0000220132.32091.9f

Bray, S. R., & Kwan, M. Y. W. (2006). Physical Activity Is Associated with Better Health and Psychological Well-Being During Transition to University Life. Journal of American College Health, 55(2): 77–82. https://doi.org/10.3200/JACH.55.2.77-82

Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4): 822 – 848. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.822

Bull, F. C., Maslin, T. S., & Armstrong, T. (2009). Global physical activity questionnaire (GPAQ): nine country reliability and validity study. Journal of Physical Activity and health, 6(6), 790-804. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.6.6.790

Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of health and Social Behavior, 24(4): 385-396. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136404

Dikmen, Y., Akduran, F., Keser, N., & Cinar, N. (2020). Examination of the effect of the gender factor on university students’ physical activity level. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science, 19(4): 625-631. https://doi.org/10.3329/BJMS.V19I4.46617

Espada, M., Romero-Parra, N., Bores-García, D., & Delfa-De La Morena, J. M. (2023). Gender Differences in University Students’ Levels of Physical Activity and Motivations to Engage in Physical Activity. Education Sciences, 13(4): 340. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13040340

Frederick, G. M., Boudreaux, B. D., Schmidt, M. D., Evans, E. M., & O'Connor, P. J. (2022). Healthy College Student 24-hour Activity Profiles Are Related to Feelings Of Energy And Less Fatigue: 209. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 54(9S): 49. https://doi:10.1249/01.mss.0000875636.96621.84

García, J. A. G., Treviño, L. V. G., & López, J. C. F. (2016). Quality of Life Perception on University Students: Comparative Study between Men and Women. Journal of Education and Human Development, 5(4): 167-176 https://doi.org/10.15640/jehd.v5n4a16

Hu, Z., Chen, P., & Liu, J. (2023). Effect of Positive Emotions on the Quality of Life of Chinese College Students. International Journal of Higher Education, 12(5): 1-42. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v12n5p42

Huang, K., Beckman, E. M., Ng, N., Dingle, G. A., Han, R., James, K., Winkler, E. Stylianou, M & & Gomersall, S. R. (2024). Effectiveness of physical activity interventions on undergraduate students’ mental health: systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Promotion International, 39(3): 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daae054

Huang, X., Wang, Y., & Zhang, H. (2023). Effects of physical exercise intervention on depressive and anxious moods of college students: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Asian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 3(3), 206-221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajsep.2023.01.001

Kassim S. A. & Fuad, N. (2023). Determinants of Perceived Stress among University Students. Current Research in Psychology and Behavioral Science, 4(2): 1-3. https://doi.org/10.54026/CRPBS/1087

Kim, J. H., Chun, J., Kim, J., Ju H. J., Kim, B. J., Jeong, J. & Lee, D. H. (2024). Emotion regulation from a virtue perspective. BMC Psychology, 12(1): 11 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01490-y

Kobayasi, R., Tempski, P. Z., Arantes-Costa, F. M., & Martins, M. A. (2018). Gender differences in the perception of quality of life during internal medicine training: a qualitative and quantitative analysis. BMC Medical Education, 18: 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-018-1378-9

Liaquat, S., Maqbool, M. A., & Nadeem, M. S. (2023). A Study to Investigate the Stress Level of College Students in District Attock. Journal of Development and Social Sciences, 4(3): 967-972. https://doi.org/10.47205/jdss.2023(4-iii)88

Litwic-Kaminska K., Błachnio, A, Kapsa, I., Brzeziński, Ł., Kopowski, J., Stojković, M., Hinić, D., Krsmanović, I., Ragni, B., Sulla, F & Limone, P. (2023) Resilience, Positivity and Social Support as Perceived Stress Predictors among University Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(19): 6892 https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20196892

Min, J., Koenig, J., Nashiro, K., Yoo, H. J., Cho, C., Thayer, J. F., & Mather, M. (2023). Sex Differences in Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation in Relation to Resting Heart Rate Variability. Brain Topography, 36(5): 698-709. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-023-00974-9

Mishra, D. K., Singh, U. P., Maravi, P., & Varma, A. (2023). Influence of gender on stress among school children: A cross-sectional study. Journal Of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, 17(6): VC05-VC07. https://doi.org/10.7860/jcdr/2023/60338.18003

Mortada, E.M., Al Awaji, N.N., Zaidi, U., Aldhahi, M.I., Alsaleh, H., Alroqaiba, N. & Awad, S. S. (2024). Unveiling the Moderating Factors in the Relationship between Physical Activity and Health-Related Quality of Life among University Students during COVID-19: A Mixed Study Design. Healthcare, 12(14): 1389. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12141389

Naiyar, I., Masud, R., Ashfaq, A., Faheem, A., Anjum, A. F., & Hashmi, S. N. (2023). Factors affecting Quality of Life (QOL) in students during study in medical institution. The Professional Medical Journal, 30(10): 1355-1361. https://doi.org/10.29309/tpmj/2023.30.10.7632

Nima, A. A., Garcia, D., Sikström, S. & Cloninger, K. M. (2024). The ABC of happiness: Validation of the tridimensional model of subjective well-being (affect, cognition, and behavior) using Bifactor Polytomous Multidimensional Item Response Theory. Heliyon, 10(2): e24386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24386

Noor, D. R. A., Wisma, N., & Alrefi, A. (2024). Differences In Students' emotion Regulation Based On Gender In SMA Negeri 1 Prabumulih. Journal of Education and Counseling, 4(2): 103-112. https://doi.org/10.32627/jeco.vi.892

World Health Organization. (‎2004)‎. The World Health Organization quality of life (‎WHOQOL)‎ - BREF, 2012 revision. World Health Organization. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/77773

Downloads

Published

2025-01-31

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 1 (2025): Jurnal Intelek Vol. 20 Issue 1 (February) 2025

Section

Articles