A nationwide total lockdown in Malaysia due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has marked the closure of educational institutions and the beginning of open and distance learning (ODL) which most relied on online learning. Online learning is not something new in Malaysia’s education system as most universities have incorporated traditional face-to-face learning with online learning materials in their education system. However, at the age of emerging developmental life stage, university students are vulnerable to mental health problems such as stress and depression because of the pandemic. Thus, this study aimed to assess the perceived stress level among university students and its relationship to socio-demographic characteristics during the COVID-19 outbreak. The results showed that the majority of the students engaging in online learning during the COVID- 19 outbreak experienced moderate to high levels of perceived stress with an average PSS score of 23.72 ± 6.06, where female students had a significantly higher mean score of perceived stress level compared to males. This study also shows that there is a significant strong relationship between perceived distress with the level of stress received by students.
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In-Text Citation: (Abdul Ghafar et al., 2022)
To Cite this Article: Abdul Ghafar, N. M., Abu Hasan, N. I., & Jamal, N. F. (2022). Perceived Stress among University Students During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences. 12(7), 640– 649.
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