This document discusses a study that examined the effect of music on perceived academic stress in college students. It developed a diagnostic tool using a projective music test and questionnaire to measure students' stress levels, emotions in response to different music genres, and beliefs about music's ability to relieve stress. The study found moderate correlations between enjoyment of music and believing it can reduce stress. It also found academic pressure is directly tied to stress levels while social support inversely impacts stress. The tool showed potential for evaluating stress through music but had limitations due to environmental factors and testing constraints. The significance is exploring creative stress assessments and using music interventions to address student mental health issues.

1. MUSIC &
STRESS
Effect of Music on Academic
Stress Perceived by College
Students
ALMONTE | FRANCISCO

2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

3. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

4. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

5. FEASIBILITY
Music is a feasible diagnostic tool
possesses
the ability to induce
emotions to listeners,
intentionally
and unintentionally

6. FEASIBILITY
ELICITS…
FEELINGS,
IDEAS,
THOUGHTS
problems, repressed memories,
experiences, ambitions

7. FEASIBILITY
It can either
relieve the person of stress
or stress the person
with its
tempo, rhythm, lyrics,
and tone

8. FEASIBILITY
It is also
highly accessible
cheap
simple
and practical

9. OBSERVATION

10. OBSERVATION
Related studies determined that
music is helpful in dealing
with the
cognitive component of stress.

11. OBSERVATION
Inds. who listened to classical music
or to music they believed was relaxing
would perceive themselves
to be more relaxed and less anxious
than inds. who listened to
hard rock music
(Burns, et al., 2002).

12. OBSERVATION
Standley (1986),
support the idea that music cause
physiological changes (in blood pressure, heart
rate, respiratory rate)
slow and relaxed music
lower physiological arousal
and faster music  increases physiological arousal

13. OBSERVATION
Violent songs
compared to nonviolent songs
lead to more aggressive thoughts
and feelings of hostility,
even when not provoked
(Labbe, Schmidt, Babin, & Pharr, 2007)

14. OBSERVATION
IF inds.
 are exposed to classical music or self-
selected relaxing music  exhibit significant
reduction of anxiety and anger,
and an increase in feeling of relaxation,
as compared to those who sit in silence or listen
to heavy metal music.

15. OBSERVATION
Some studies
would still conclude
that the participant’s
enjoyment, interest in and
appreciation of music
was more important,
regardless of the type of music being listened to.

16. METHODOLOGY

17. METHODOLOGY
A survey was self-administered in
selected respondents in UP Manila.
 consisted of 33 college students
selected through convenience sampling.

18. METHODOLOGY
The diagnostic tool
comprised of two parts:
1. theprojective test
2. the questionnaire

19. METHODOLOGY
PROJECTIVE TEST
– participants were asked to listen to 6 songs of
different genre (i.e.
classical, rock, country, RnB, metal and pop)
– write in a blank sheet of paper whatever
thoughts, ideas and feelings come into mind
upon hearing each song.

20. METHODOLOGY
Self-developed questionnaire
consisted of:
 Yes/No items,
 Partially closed-ended questions
 Continuous Rating Scale measured on a 4-point
Likert Scale and
 Visual Analogue Scale.

21. METHODOLOGY
FIRST PART consisted of:
 questions about the emotions associated with stress
 the different genre of music which the participant
preferred to listen when stressed.
 rate their familiarity and enjoyment of the song
 belief whether it relieves stress

22. METHODOLOGY
A continuous scale was devised to measure
academic stress.
composed of 2 domains:
1. Academic Pressure - motivation to study, time
pressures, financial and time management worries, fear of
failing, concern about academic ability and grades, struggle
to meet academic standards
2. Social Support – family, peers, mentors
.

23. METHODOLOGY
Ethical considerations
1. The survey questionnaire was administered
during the respondents’ free time.
2. Informed consent and briefing of the study’s
objectives and methods.
3. Assured anonymity and confidentiality and
the right to withdraw from the study anytime.
.

24. TEST OF
VALIDITY

25. TEST OF VALIDITY
Data from the questionnaire
were entered and analyzed
in the SPSS ver. 17, to evaluate
whether the diagnostic tool
measures what it claims to measure

26. TEST OF VALIDITY
Results
79% (n=26) of the respondents
equated stress
with anxiety and pressure.

27. TEST OF VALIDITY
Results Descriptive Statistics
N Sum
q0.1.1 33 18.00
Pressure q0.1.2 33 26.00
Anxiety q0.1.3 33 26.00
q0.1.4 33 3.00
q0.1.5 33 3.00
q0.1.6 33 13.00
q.0.1.7 33 1.00
q.0.1.8 33 2.00
q.0.1.9 33 1.00
q.0.1.10 33 1.00
Valid N (listwise) 33

28. TEST OF VALIDITY
Results
Except for song #5 (genre: metal),
moderate and positive correlation
bet. enjoyment of the song
and the belief that it can relieve stress.

29. TEST OF VALIDITY
The Spearman correlation
coefficients were as follows:
0.721 (classical)
0.655 (rock),
0.546 (country),
0.746 (RnB),
-0.165 (metal),
0.683 (pop)

30. TEST OF VALIDITY
Correlation of the enjoyment of the song and the belief that it can relieve stress (Genre: Classical)
Symmetric Measures
Asymp. Std.
a b
Value Error Approx. T Approx. Sig.
c
Interval by Interval Pearson's R .672 .091 5.050 .000
c
Ordinal by Ordinal Spearman Correlation .721 .089 5.794 .000
N of Valid Cases 33
a. Not assuming the null hypothesis.
b. Using the asymptotic standard error assuming the null hypothesis.
c. Based on normal approximation.

31. TEST OF VALIDITY
Results
There exists a
weak to moderate correlation
bet. the
familiarity and enjoyment of the song.

32. TEST OF VALIDITY
The Spearman correlation coefficients
were as follows:
0.598 (classical),
0.237 (rock),
0.566 (country),
0.504 (RnB),
0.691 (metal) and
0.573 (pop)

33. TEST OF VALIDITY
Results
Academic pressure is directly proportional
to the level of stress, while social support is
inversely proportional.
The higher the academic pressure and the lower the
social support, the higher is the level of stress.

34. TEST OF VALIDITY
Results
The self-developed Academic Stress
Scale (ASS) consisted of
30 items: 23 for academic pressures
and 7 for social support.

35. TEST OF VALIDITY
Results
Most of the participants’ scale scores were
interpreted as slightly stressed and moderately
stressed.
The score ranges are: 30-52 (not
stressed), 53-75 (slightly stressed), 76-98
(moderately stressed) and 99-120 (stressed).

36. TEST OF VALIDITY
Extraneous variables/Contaminants
1. the environmental noise
2. the familiarity in music

37. TEST OF VALIDITY
Extraneous variables/Contaminants
3. the use of music as a coping strategy
when stressed
4. gender difference

38. TEST OF VALIDITY
Comparing the results of the projective test
and the questionnaire.
categories: ST (Stress), AC
(Academics), DT (Death), AM (Ambition), MO
(Movement), MOP (Movement with other
people), CH (Chaos), FR (Fire), PL (Place), IO
(Inanimate objects), EM (Emotions) and GE (Genre).

39. TEST OF VALIDITY
Responses which talked about
ST, AC, DT, CH, FR were classified as
deviant, and are grounds for being
stressed, anxious, pressured and
tensed.

40. TEST OF VALIDITY
The PANAS X-Scale was utilized as a
guide in classifying
the different emotions (e.g. Basic
Negative Emotions: fear, hostility, guilt, sadness; Basic
Positive Emotions: Joviality, Self-Assurance, Attentiveness;
Other Affective States: shyness, fatigue, serenity, surprise).

41. TEST OF
RELIABILITY

42. TEST OF RELIABILITY
The Cronbach’s alpha of the Academic
Stress Scale (ASS) was measured using SPSS
ver. 17 to know if the scale measures what it
intends to measure.
Cronbach’s alpha : 0.663 items were internally consistent
and that
items measured the same domain

43. TEST OF RELIABILITY
Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's
Alpha N of Items
.663 30

44. TEST OF RELIABILITY
For the projective test, test-retest method and
reliability estimates such as inter-rater
reliability and alternate-form reliability
weren’t done due to limited
time.

45. TEST OF RELIABILITY
Researchers have
tried to control and eliminate the factors
which will lead to measurement error and
lower the test’s reliability such as
fatigue, nervousness, error in content
sampling, misinterpreted instructions,
and guessing.

46. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
STUDY

47. SIGNIFICANCE
Students feel stress and anxiety
due to academic and peer pressures and high
expectations from the family.
If no effective coping strategy is
utilized, stress and anxiety may lead to
depression, or worse,
suicide.

48. SIGNIFICANCE
It is very important to regularly check
the student’s level of stress and to
know the factors behind it, so that
interventions such as symposiums on
stress coping, counseling, group therapies
can properly address it.

49. SIGNIFICANCE
The study opens doors for more creative
diagnostic tools, like music.
Music has the potential to elicit
happy or repressed memories and to
project the thoughts, ideas and feelings of
the respondents.
•

50. APPLICATIONS

51. APPLICATIONS
1. This diagnostic tool (music
projective test and the ASS) can be
administered to high school students,
undergrads and
to those taking masterals or PhDs.

52. APPLICATIONS
2. Using music in classroom, offices and
hospitals to relieve tension
3. Using music as a projective test
not only to determine stress but also
the personality of the person.

53. REFERENCES
Burns, J., Labbe, E., Brooke, A., Capeless, K., Cooksey, B., Steadman, A., et al.
(2002). The Effects of Different Types of Music on Perceived and Physiological
Measures of Stress. Journal of Music Therapy , 101-116.
Labbe, E., Schmidt, N., Babin, J., & Pharr, M. (2007). Coping with Stress: The
Effectiveness of Different Types of Music. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback , 163-168.
Standley, J. (1986). Music research in medical/dental treatment. Journal of Music
Therapy , 56-122.
Watson, D., & Clark, L. A. (1994). THE PANAS-X. The University of Iowa.

54. FIN. 
ALMONTE | FRANCISCO