Impact of Examination Stress on Blood Cell Parameters among Undergraduates of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Jaffna.

Abstract

Background: Examination stress is a sense of anxiety and tension about facing an examination. University students reported possessing significant stress during examinations which ultimately affects their physical and mental health. Although examination stress was found to be associated with changes in blood cell parameters, the findings were still contradictory among different populations. Objectives: To evaluate the impact of examination stress on blood cell parameters among the undergraduates of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences (FAHS), University of Jaffna (UoJ) Methods: An institutional-based longitudinal study was carried out among 50 undergraduates of the FAHS, UoJ, over two different periods. Male and female undergraduates without a history of cardiovascular disease, thromboembolic events, chronic illnesses, recent trauma or surgery and haematological disorders were included in the study. The first session of sample collection and stress level measurement was carried out one month before the examination on a regular day of academic activities whereas the second session was conducted within two hours after the semester examination. A Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) by Cohen was used to measure the level of stress while EDTA blood samples were used to analyse the blood cell parameters using Sysmex KX-21 (Japan) Hematological Analyzer. Data were analysed by Pearson correlation on SPSS version 18.0. Results: Among the participants, females were predominant (58%), with a mean age of 24 years. The stress analysis revealed that stress level was elevated during examination by 3.00±4.20 for males and 2.5±1.59 for females. Furthermore, examination stress showed a statistically significant positive correlation with platelet count (r=0.895, p<0.05) and a statistically significant negative correlation (r=-0.344, p<0.05) with lymphocyte count although there was no significant influence between examination stress and levels of haemoglobin, hematocrit, neutrophil, eosinophil and monocyte. Conclusion: Alterations in lymphocytes and platelet counts could be used as markers of examination stress in university students; however, further large-scale studies are recommended.