Stress and gender in relation to self-esteem of university business students

Some previous investigations argued for and against the fact that stress affects self-esteem of postsecondary students. This study investigated the effects of stress and gender on students' self-esteem. One hundred and fifteen students stratified by level of study, ethnicity, age and gender completed standardized measures of traditional student stress scale and self esteem. The 2x3 (ANOVA) was used to analyse the two independent variables –stress and gender to determine their effect on self-esteem. Results showed neither significant differences on the main effects of stress and gender nor the interaction effect. This however, does not mean that differences in stress levels do not exist among students. Recommendations are given for educational stakeholders to take stress serious and the need for student support services in university settings.