The Relationship between Academic Stress and Hopelessness among Students

Abstract

Academic stress is a common psychological burden among senior high school students that, when left unmanaged, may develop into hopelessness. This study examined the level of academic stress, the level of hopelessness, and the relationship between the two among students of SMA Kasih Depok, Indonesia. A quantitative correlational design was employed, involving 117 students selected through simple random sampling from a population of 147. Data were collected using two Likert-scale questionnaires developed by the researchers for this study: a 27-item academic stress scale measuring students’ perceived academic pressure and a 22-item hopelessness scale assessing negative expectations about the future. Because the academic stress scores were not normally distributed, Spearman’s rho was used to test the hypothesis. The results showed that academic stress was predominantly in the moderate category (60.7%), while hopelessness was predominantly in the low category (47.9%). The correlation analysis revealed a significant, moderate, positive relationship between academic stress and hopelessness (rₛ = .533, p < .001, N = 117), indicating that higher levels of academic stress were associated with higher levels of hopelessness. These findings highlight the importance of preventive and curative guidance and counseling services in helping students manage academic pressure adaptively before it develops into hopelessness.