PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE SULTANATE OF OMAN

This qualitative study discusses psychological pressures related to university study among students of Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman, and the problem lies in the university student's suffering from undergraduate study pressures, which may lead to a lower academic level, which causes him a kind of tension, anxiety and frustration, and he may be forced later To leave his university studies and not pursue it. The study aimed to discuss the impact of psychological stress on university students, both academically and psychologically, and to analyze the proposals of the study sample to reduce their psychological and academic stress. The researcher used the qualitative descriptive approach to collect information using the interview as a tool for the study. The interview questions consisted of two axes, the first axis: the sources of various psychological pressures that affect the university student, and the second axis: the status of students ’academic performance in light of psychological stress and the role of academic counseling. The tool applied to a sample of (10) students enrolled in the Student Counseling Center. The findings revealed that: that university students suffer from academic psychological pressures that ranged from high to medium level, most of the pressures centered around the accumulation of study materials, the frequent examinations, the inability to manage time and reconcile all subjects, determine priorities, and arrange goals. The results also indicated that there is a strong relationship between the psychological stress that the university student suffers from, and his low level of achievement. The study sample members suggested that the University’s Student Counseling Center conduct training courses and workshops for university students in order to help them get rid of pressure and raise their achievement levels.