Abstract:
This case study investigated the relationship between stress and psychosocial adjustment among
government-sponsored undergraduate students from the University of Nairobi in Kenya. The
mediating roles of the student's demographic factors in the relationship between stress and
psychosocial adjustment were also examined. The sample consisted of 319 male and 265 female
students selected using stratified random sampling technique. A cross-sectional survey was
conducted for quantitative data collection using questionnaires. Results showed that most students
(64.4%) reported that they experienced between moderate to high levels of stress while just over a
third (35.6%) reported low stress levels. The relationship between stress and psychosocial adjustment
was statistically significant (X2=13.51, n=584, df =2, p=0.001). The relationship between stress level
and psychosocial adjustment was significant within 19 to 22 years, males, females, College of
Biological and Physical Sciences, levels two and four of study, internal locus of control, and external
locus of control. Regression analysis showed that the higher the stress level, the poorer is the
psychosocial adjustment. The findings indicate the need for institution of programs that will lower
the experience and effects of stress among university students. Further research is recommended to
investigate the areas where the results were not significant.
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