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Lab Report Part1+Part2
Cognitive Psychology (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology)
Studocu is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF NEUROTICISM AND SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS 1
Assessing the Impact of Neuroticism and Social Connectedness in Perceived Student Stress
David Bloom: S3717656
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
Word Count: 1485
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THE EFFECTS OF NEUROTICISM AND SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS 2
Abstract
This study reports an analysis of the correlation between neurotic personality traits in
affecting perceived student stress levels as well as assessing the impact of social
connectedness pertaining to stress. A survey was administered to N = 311 students studying at
RMIT University with the ages being a M = 19.71, SD = 3.51. The study utilised a Social
Connectedness Scale-revised, an OCEANIC-BFI Scale, University Stress Scale as well as a
DASS-21 Scale. The results indicated that there was a significant, moderate, positive
correlation between neurotic personality traits and stress, r (309) = 0.40, p < .001. There was
also a significant, negative, moderate correlation between social connectedness and stress, r
(309) = -0.36, p < .001.
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF NEUROTICISM AND SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS 3
Assessing the Impact of Neuroticism and Social Connectedness in Perceived Student Stress
Students, especially undergraduates studying in University, often find themselves in
precarious circumstances throughout their careers and this almost always leads to
experiencing feelings of stress as well as hopelessness (Bunevicius, Katkute & Bunevicius,
2008). Undergraduates in particular often have the most trouble adjusting to life at University,
as well as having to adapt to an entirely new social ecosystem on Campus, which of course
can lead to stress, which in turn can result in depression and anxiety. Personality has also
shown to be a factor contributing to perceived stress levels in students. It is therefore of great
importance for students to experience the least amount of stress possible, in order to insure
that both their personal and academic lives are able to thrive (Joshanloo, Rastegar & Bakhshi,
2012).
Previously research regarding stress and personality dimensions in students has been found to
have a correlation. For example, a study conducted in a French University with the aim of
discovering what personality traits had a correlation with perceived stress in students found
that students with neurotic personality traits, tended to experience significantly greater stress
(Saleh, Romo & Camart, 2017). Studies have also shown that neuroticism is related to
unhealthy coping mechanisms particularly among first year students (Reichl et al., 2014).
Studies have also shown that when students feel a sense of social connectedness, this can lead
to a significant decrease in perceived student stress levels and in turn, increased feelings of
overall happiness and fulfillment (Satici, Uysal & Engin, 2016). This study was conducted in
a Turkish University in order to understand the relationship between that of social
connectedness, loneliness and subjective happiness. Further evidence does suggest that being
connected with one’s peers will enable students to be more readily able to deal with negative
emotions, show a greater amount of empathy, have improved tolerance to diverse ideas and
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF NEUROTICISM AND SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS 4
perspectives and improve their overall wellbeing (Gold, Bentzley, Franciscus, Forte & Golia,
2019).
It is the objective of this study to analyse, scrutinise and interpret these findings, in
order to determine the optimum social settings and personality traits necessary in maximising
happiness and minimising stress in students. This research seeks to demonstrate the positive
correlation between the variables neuroticism and stress, as well as establishing the negative
correlation between the variables social connectedness and stress.
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THE EFFECTS OF NEUROTICISM AND SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS 5
Method
Participants
The participants were N = 311 undergraduates studying at RMIT, (M = 19.71 years,
SD = 3.51) consisted of 82 males and 229 females. Students had the option of completing the
survey or pursuing an alternative option.
Materials
Social connectedness was measured using the revised Social Connectedness Scale,
(Lee & Draper, 2001). This is a 20-item self-report inventory that is designed to measure how
a connected someone is socially. Participants were required to rate how much they agreed
with each statement on a 6-point Likert scale, which ranged from 0 (never) to 5 (always).
The scale has been revised (Lee & Robbins, 1995) and demonstrates validation and support
for the mediation hypothesis, however greater validation is necessary.
The personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and
neuroticism were measured using the Oceanic-Big Five Scale ( Schulze & Roberts, 2006).
This is a 45 item self-report inventory, designed to measure when a person is positioned with
respect to each trait. The 5 subscales contain 9 items. Participants were required to rate how
the following statements applied to them on a 6-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 (never) to
5 (always). The scores for each personality trait are summed up and measured separately.
Reliability of the subscales being utilised are stated as being above average (Viswesvaran &
Ones, 2000) and validity has not been doubted (Lüdtke et al, 2004).
Stress was measured using the University Stress Scale. This is a 21 item self-report
inventory, which is used to measure what aspects of a student’s life cause them the most
stress over a 30-day period (Stallman & Hurst, 2016). The participants were expected to rate
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THE EFFECTS OF NEUROTICISM AND SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS 6
how much stress the particular item caused them on a 4-point Likert scale, ranging from 0
(not at all) to 3 (constantly). The University Stress Scale exhibits good validity, as well as
also showing good reliability.
Procedure
An online questionnaire was administered, with an approximate time of 10 minutes to
complete. Participants were instructed to answer questions regarding their use of social
media, academic performance and wellbeing. Participants were also instructed to not
complete the survey in the presence of friends. Students were informed that participation is
optional and would not have an impact on academic progress. The data gathered is reported
collectively and individuals are not identified, data is securely stored on a server for 7 years.
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THE EFFECTS OF NEUROTICISM AND SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS 7
Results
Table 1 below, shows the means and standard deviations of: student stress, social
connectedness and neuroticism.
Table 1
Mean and Standard Deviations of Student Stress, Social Connectedness and
Neuroticism
M SD
Student Stress 19.43 8.68
Social 83.56 16.54
Connectedness
Neuroticism 18.59 4.28
As shown in Table 1, scores for social connectedness displayed the highest mean and
standard deviation scores by a fairly large degree. Neuroticism on the other hand, showed the
lowest mean and standard deviation, just behind student stress.
The data was analysed using a Pearson’s product moment correlation. Results showed
there was a significant, moderate positive correlation between neuroticism and stress levels, r
(309) = 0.40, p < .001. This suggests that students with neurotic personality traits are more
likely to experience stress.
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THE EFFECTS OF NEUROTICISM AND SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS 8
Additional results showed there was a significant, moderate, negative correlation
between social connectedness and perceived student stress levels, r (309) = -0.36, p < .001.
Which suggests that students who engage in social behaviour at University are less likely to
experience stress.
Discussion
A study was conducted in order to test 2 separate hypotheses. The first hypothesis was that
neuroticism will have a positive correlation in predicting student stress levels. The second
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THE EFFECTS OF NEUROTICISM AND SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS 9
hypothesis was that social connectedness will have a negative correlation in predicting
student stress. Based on the results from the Pearson’s product moment correlation, it appears
that the evidence is in support of both hypotheses.
The trait of neuroticism in affecting stress is unsurprising as the stress levels of neurotic
personalities has already been documented as having a high level of predicting power (Saleh,
Romo & Camart, 2017). The French study was similar in that it also sought to highlight
which personality traits predicted stress in University students, it was also administered as an
online questionnaire much like this study. However, the methodology used in the French
study different in that it contained a greater sample size of N = 483 and also utilised a
perceived stress scale (PSS) a French Big Five Inventory (BFI-FR), both of which were not
used in this study and may account for the difference in correlation strength (r = .66) between
the French study and this one. Past research has also found that social connectedness is
positively and directly related to subjective happiness in University students (Satici, Uysal &
Engin, 2016). The results of which were obtained using the Turkish Social Connectedness
Scale, which in many ways mirrors the Social Connectedness Scale of this study.
The RMIT study contributes a great deal in that it employs a revised Social Connectedness
Scale, an OCEANIC-BFI Scale and the University Stress Scale, this combination of scales
leads to a thorough and more nuanced understanding of how personality traits and social
connectedness can be managed in order to reduce the most amount of stress possible in
students.
That being said, the RMIT study does still suffer from certain limitations. For
instance, the overwhelming majority of participants in the study were female, which equated
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THE EFFECTS OF NEUROTICISM AND SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS 10
to 76% of the data, whilst males were only represented in 24% of the data. It should also be
noted that the vast majority of participants were also first-year Psychology students whom
constituted 84% of the data and only 16% were students studying another subject. In order to
reduce this limitation, students from a diverse range of subjects should participate, this way a
larger sample size isn’t needed, yet the population is more practically represented in the
study.
Future studies ultimately, should include a wider array of students studying multiple
subjects as it more accurately gauges how social connectedness and personality traits
influence stress in students at RMIT University. The implications of this study do yield
important information regarding social connectedness, stress and personality traits in students
and have the potential to help students of a broader demographic cope with the stresses of
University and daily life.
References
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Bunevicius, Adomas; Katkute, Arune; Bunevicius, Roberts. 2008. Symptoms of Anxiety
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Students Related to Personality Traits? Psychology Research, 7(1), 42-49.
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