The relationship between stressful life events and anxiety symptoms: a cross-sectional survey of university students in Botswana

Anxiety disorders, particularly in young adults, have a severe negative association with quality of life, career growth, and health. There is a dearth of research on causes and correlates, particularly in areas with limited resources. At a premier higher education institution in Botswana, we set out to determine how stressful life events (SLEs) were related to severe anxiety symptoms among students. In a cross-sectional survey (n = 615, mean age = 21.1, ± 2.1, 59.3% female), the 21-item Beck’s Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the 26-Item Social Readjustment Rating Scale were used to assess anxiety symptoms and SLEs, respectively. T-tests, analyses of variance (ANOVA) and regression analyses were used to calculate associations, compare SLEs at different levels of anxiety symptoms, and assess whether SLEs are related to severe anxiety symptoms. Anxiety symptoms were moderate in 16.4% and severe in 11.7% of respondents. Over 50 per cent of respondents reported eight (8) or more SLEs. Higher numbers of SLEs were associated with a gradual increase in anxiety symptoms severity. Respondents at different levels of anxiety differed significantly in reporting SLEs (F (3, 612) = 68.21, p < .001). SLEs were significantly related to reporting severe anxiety symptoms in regression analyses (β = .56, 95% CI: 0.45, 0.66). When all SLEs were simultaneously included in one model, SLEs related to personal, study and relationship stressors were independently associated with severe anxiety symptoms. Anxiety symptoms in young individuals are highly correlated with reporting SLEs. Practitioners should prioritise initiatives that promote mental health through effective low-cost self-help interventions that may ease anxiety symptoms in young adults.