Assessment of Causes of Stress in a Pharmacy Student Population During Semester and Exam Period

Abstract Stress is one of the most significant factors that can influence the academic performance of students. To explore the causes of stress in students, the cross-sectional online survey was conducted during semester (in 2019 year) and during exam (in 2020 year) period at the University of Belgrade - Faculty of Pharmacy. The main results indicated that female gender was the most significant cause of stress during the exam period, and the most frequent stress cause was limited time to prepare exams and/or colloquia. The role of family, friends, and boyfriend/girlfriend showed to be of great importance in stress reduction during the semester and especially during the exam period. The most frequent manifestations of stress were feeling nervous, tired and worried. For stress reduction students usually listened to music and talked with friends. Therefore, student’s obligations and their overall living conditions should be observed comprehensively. These results may indicate further actions to decrease stress levels in students, and need for academic environment that may help students to achieve the best academic performance.