Relationship between graduate students' perceived stress and academic writing anxiety: A study

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between perceived stress and academic writing anxiety among graduate students, collecting data from 259 participants through an online survey. Utilizing the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the Writing Apprehension Test (WAT), the analyses revealed a significant positive correlation between stress levels and academic writing anxiety (r = .42, p <.01). Furthermore, stress was found to be a significant predictor of writing anxiety (R² = .176, p <.001). Regarding demographic variables, female students exhibited higher levels of both stress and writing anxiety compared to male students (p <.05), and master's students reported greater writing anxiety than doctoral students (p <.05). However, no significant differences were observed in stress and writing anxiety levels based on the field of study (p> .05). These findings highlight the need to address the psychological challenges faced by graduate students in the context of stress and anxiety, with particular attention to factors such as gender and academic level. The study offers recommendations for supporting graduate students in stress management and enhancing their writing skills.