Research Outputs
Academic stress in college students: Descriptive analyses and scoring of the SISCO-II inventory
In a competitive and demanding world, academic stress is of increasing concern to students. This systemic, adaptive, and psychological process is composed of stressful stimuli, imbalance symptoms, and coping strategies. The SISCO-II Academic Stress Inventory (SISCO-II-AS) is a psychometric instrument validated in Chile. It evaluates stressors, symptoms, and coping, both individually and globally. For its practical interpretation, a scale is required. Therefore, this study aims to descriptively analyze the SISCO-II-AS and to obtain its corresponding scales. Employing a non-experimental quantitative approach, we administered the SISCO-II-AS to 1,049 second and third-year students from three Chilean universities, with a disproportionate gender representation of 75.21% female to 24.79% male participants. Through descriptive and bivariate analysis, we established norms based on percentiles. For the complete instrument and its subscales, significant differences by sex were identified, with magnitudes varying from small to moderate. For the full instrument and its subscales, bar scale norms by percentile and sex are presented. Each subscale (stressors, physical and psychological reactions, social behavioural reactions, total reaction, and coping) has score ranges defined for low, medium, and high levels. These ranges vary according to the sex of the respondent, with notable differences in stressors and physical, psychological, and social behavioural reactions. This study stands out for its broad and heterogeneous sample, which enriches the representativeness of the data. It offers a comprehensive view of academic stress in college students, identifying distinctive factors and highlighting the importance of gender-sensitive approaches. Its findings contribute to understanding and guide future interventions. By offering a descriptive analysis of the SISCO-II-AS inventory and establishing bar norms, this research aids health professionals and educators in better assessing and addressing academic stress in the student population.
Validity and reliability of SISCO inventory of academic stress among health students in Chile
Objective: To evaluate the factorial structure and internal consistency of SISCO inventory of academic stress in medical students.. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the School of Medicine, University of Concepcion, Chile, in 2014, and comprised second and third year students.Exploratory factor analysis was carried out to determine the reliability of each of the dimensions of SISCO inventory. Descriptive and correlational analyses were also conducted. Results: Of the 155 students, 121(78.1%)were female. The overall mean age was 20.5+/- 1.55 years (range: 18.9-32.2 years). Of the total, 61(39.4%) students were in the nursing programme, 10(6.5%) in speech therapy, 16(10.3%) in kinesiology, 10(6.5%) in medicine, 20(12.9%) in midwifery and 38(24.4%) in medical technology.For stressor, somatisation and coping dimensions, a factor was identified, with Cronbach's alpha values of 0.76, 0.86 and 0.52, respectively. Correlation could only be established between the first two dimensions. Conclusions: Stressors and somatisation dimensions of the SISCO inventory of academic stress were found to be validity and reliabile.