Psychological Variables and Academic Stressors Moderation among Senior Secondary School Students in Akwa Ibom North Senatorial District

Abstract

The study examined psychological variables and academic stress moderation among senior secondary school students in the Akwa Ibom North Senatorial District. Specifically, the study investigated the moderating influence of self-regulation and selfconcept on academic stressors among senior secondary school students. The study adopted a correlational research design. The population of the study comprised 29,267 senior secondary school students in public secondary schools in Akwa Ibom North Senatorial District during the 2025/2026 academic session. A sample size of 400 students was selected using a multistage sampling procedure. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled Psychological Variables and Academic Stressors Questionnaire (PVASQ). The instrument was validated by experts in educational psychology and measurement and evaluation, while Cronbach alpha statistics yielded reliability coefficients of 0.81 for self-regulation, 0.84 for self-concept, and 0.86 for academic stressors. Pearson product-moment correlation statistics were used to answer the research questions and test the null hypotheses at the .05 level of significance. The findings revealed that self-regulation had a significant negative relationship with academic stressors among senior secondary school students. The findings also revealed that self-concept significantly moderated academic stressors among students. The study concluded that psychological variables play significant roles in reducing academic stressors among senior secondary school students. It was recommended among others that school counselors organize programs that strengthen students’ selfregulation and self-concept to help students effectively manage academic stressors.