Miftakhul Jannah, Rachman Widohardhono, Nabila Rachman, Eva Nandha Jalma Yael, Adiwignya Nugraha Widhi Harita, Damajanti Kusuma Dewi, Kususanto Ditto Prihadi
Aim: Academic demands and performance expectations constitute significant stressors among university students. Physical activity among students varies from low to moderate and high levels. Physical activity has various health and psychological benefits. This study aimed to determine differences in academic stress in terms of level of physical activity carried out by university students. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted involving 389 students aged 17-24 years. Physical activity was assessed using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) and categorized into low (<600 MET-min/week), moderate (600-2999 MET-min/ week), and high (≥ 3000 MET-min/week). Academic stress was measured using the Perception of Academic Stress Scale (PASS). Due to violation of homogeneity of variance, differences were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis H test followed by Dunn's post hoc comparisons. Results: A significant difference in academic stress was observed across physical activity levels (H(2) = 14.97, p < 0.001). Students in the high physical activity group reported significantly lower academic stress compared to those in the low activity group. The effect size indicated a small but meaningful difference (η2H ≈ 0.03). Conclusion: Higher levels of physical activity were associated with lower academic stress among university students. These findings support the stress-buffering perspective of exercise and emphasize the importance of promoting regular physical activity among university students. Managing academic stress while encouraging further longitudinal research to explore underlying mechanisms. © 2026 Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP. All rights reserved.
Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Department of Psychology, Surabaya, Indonesia; Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Faculty of Vocational, Department of Sport Coaching, Surabaya, Indonesia; Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim, Department of Psychology, Malang, Indonesia; Sunway University, School of Education, Department of Educational Development and Innovation, Selangor, Malaysia
