This study aims to explore the role of social support, self-efficacy and spirituality in reducing academic stress among students in Indonesia.
This study uses a quantitative design with a correlational approach. The sample consisted of 534 students from various universities in Indonesia who were selected purposively. Data were collected through online surveys using standard instruments, such as the Multidimensional Social Support Scale (MSPSS), the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS). Data analysis was carried out using analysis carried out using the Hayes procedure.
Showed that self-efficacy (SE) and spirituality (SPR) individually had positive and significant effects, while social support (SS) and SPR showed that the model included SE and SPR significantly. However, the interaction between SE and SPR and SS and SPR is not significant, suggesting that spirituality does not moderate the relationship between SE and SS with SA. SE and SPR tend to increase SA, whereas SS has no significant effect on SA. Although SE and SPR individually enhance SA, it suggests that spirituality does not strengthen or weaken SE’s relationship with SA. Similarly, the SS did not have a significant influence on the SA.
The results of this study show that social support, self-efficacy, and spirituality play an important role in reducing students’ academic stress, so educational institutions need to develop programs such as counseling services, mentoring, and spiritually based communities to support students. However, this study has limitations, this research is quantitative so that it is not able to explore students’ subjective experiences in depth and uses a limited sample from several universities in East Kalimantan, which can limit the generalization of findings.
This study provides new insights into how psychological and social factors work together to reduce academic stress in the context of Indonesian higher education. In addition, the study highlights the importance of spirituality as a protective factor against academic stress.
