Hormone Level and Physiological State as Indicators for Level Stress of Male ITB Students who Passed Undergraduate Final Exam

• Main Author: C T Maizir, Duwita
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Ilmu hayati ; Biologi
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/35998
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

The student stress level has been studied extensively which concluded that an academic examination was one of the stressor for them. An academic exam was a measurement tool for education activity although in academic, those assessments were influenced by cognitive, affetctive and motoric factor. One of these assessments for college students is through undergraduate final exam. This study examined stress level of seventeen male ITB students who passed undergraduate final exams on September 2009 and was approved by the Health Research Ethics Commitee of Medical Faculty of Padjajaran University - Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung. The main purpose of this study was to observe the stress level of ITB students who graduated in different duration time, according to hormone level such as Cortisol and T3; physiological state such as body weight, blood pressure, pulse, and temperature; also questionnaire. The participants were divided into three groups: group 1 was students who graduated in maximum time limit (students of 2002), group 2 was students who graduated between time limit (students of 2003 and 2004), and group 3 was students who graduated on time (students of 2005). Hormone level and physiological state was determined in one month before and one hour before undergraduate final exam taken place and physiological state measurement on five days continuously before exam. Psychological stress was determined by Students Stress Scale (SSS-MbD) and Mind Over Mood Anxiety Inventory (MOMA-MbD) questionnaire which were modified by Duwita. Multivariate methods such as MANOVA (Multivariate of Variance) and PCA (Principal Component Analysis) was used for data analyses. Based on PCA for questionnaire, the most frequently chosen stressors are serious argument with advisor and change in time management (delayed graduation time) which made all male ITB students in the groups had moderate stress level. This research showed that no significant differences of hormone level and physiological state between groups and time sampling. However, group I had higher cortisol and thyroid hormone level (13.43 ?g/dL and 1.08ng/mL), body weight (94.35 Kg), pulses (82 bpm) and body temperature (36.430C). On the other hand, group 3 had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure (115/78 mm/Hg). Although these data were in normal range value, there was a significant correlation (p < 0,05) between hormone level and physiological state as indicators of stress level through regression equation: YT = 4.2075 + 0,391X1 – 1,252X2 + 0,0048X4 – 1,9805X5 – 0.0012X6 + 0,0218X7 which YT = Total score of SSS-MbD questionnaire, X1 = Cortisol hormone, X2 = T3 hormone, X4 = systolic blood pressure, X5 = diastolic blood pressure, X6 = body weight, and X7 = pulse. Therefore, this study concluded that male ITB students who passed undergraduate final exam on September 2009 had chronic stres and in moderate stress level that were followed by increasing in Cortisol level, systolic blood pressure, and pulse but decreased in T3 level, diastolic blood pressure and body weight. However, students of 2002 had higher hormone level and physicological state than another groups.