Chapter 6: Discussion 6.1 Introduction
6.3 Intrapersonal sources of stress
Intrapersonal stressors refer to stress that results from internal sources (Ross et al., 1997).
These are events experienced by the student themselves, independent of their interpersonal or environmental relationships. In the present study, the intrapersonal sources of stress with significant associations are first semester at university, minor traffic violation, change in financial status and death of a close friend.
6.3.1 First semester at university
Undergraduate students reported a significantly greater frequency of the stressor first semester at university. This could be due to the fact that when data was collected, it was
48 during the first semester of the year and it would have been their first university semester for most of the first-year students.
6.3.2 Minor traffic violation
Studies by Akerstedt and Kecklund (2001) and Rosenbloom, Ben-Eliyahu and Nemrodov (2009) both found that male drivers are more prone to indulge in risky driving than are female drivers, regardless of their age. This has been attributed to male drivers being more aggressive and overly confident about their driving skills. Akerstedt and Kecklund (2001) suggested that young male drivers are particularly at risk of indulging in risky driving due to peer pressure and inexperience. As such, this could help to explain male participants being significantly more likely to experience minor traffic violation as a stressor.
Minor traffic violation was also experienced significantly more by black students, compared to students of other races. In a survey conducted by the Department of Transport in 2003, it was found that 20% of South African citizens over the age of 18 were in possession of a driver’s licence. In terms of race it was found that 83% of whites over the age of 18
possessed a driver’s licence while only 10% of the black population were in possession of a driver’s licence. This suggests that the majority of car owners in South Africa are whites and as such, black people might be significantly more inexperienced in driving than are white people. Furthermore, the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) (2006, p.
11) found that one of the leading causes of traffic violations amongst drivers is inexperience;
“learning to drive takes time and needs extensive practice in order to reach a sufficient competence level.” For the inexperienced driver the actions of driving can lead to increased mental workload that may possibly distract attention from the road which could result in traffic violations.
6.3.3 Change in financial status
Change in financial status was experienced significantly more by black students compared to students of other races. This clearly relates to sources of funding for students. Traditionally, students’ families have been required to raise the funds needed to pay for tertiary education.
According to a survey conducted by Statistics South Africa in 2010, it was found that the median monthly earnings of whites and Indian/Asian population (R9 500 and R6 000, respectively) were substantially higher than that of the coloured (R2 652) and the black (R2
49 162) population. As such, black parents are likely to face more difficulties with regard to paying tertiary tuition fees and this stress is likely to be experienced across the whole family.
As a result of the income disparity discussed above, many students, especially the historically disadvantaged, need to seek funding elsewhere. These sources include banks and bursaries;
however, banks require security for loans and bursary funding is limited. That leaves many black students reliant on gaining other means of funding their studies. UKZN is considered to be a historically black and disadvantaged institute (Cebekhulu & Mantzaris, 2006). As such, most black students receive funding from NSFAS (Report on the ministerial committee for the review of the provision of student housing at South African universities, 2011).
Breier (2010) noted that NSFAS allocations are announced at the end of the preceding year but the first portion of this is given to institutions only on the first of April each year, as this marks the beginning of the government’s fiscal year. As such, many historically black universities experience cash flow problems during the first quarter of the year and
subsequently demand an upfront payment from students (Breier, 2010). Furthermore, as the demand for NSFAS is greater than the supply, institutions tend to give students less than the full amount they need so that NSFAS “can spread the available support as far as possible”
(Breier, 2010, p. 664). All these factors can be seen to be contributing to the financial difficulties and related stress experienced by black students.
6.3.4 Death of a close friend
Balk (2008, p. 5) found that at “any given time, 22% to 30% of college undergraduate students are in their first 12 months of grieving.” In the present study, it was found that 28%
of undergraduate students reported experiencing the death of a close friend in the previous 12 months. According to the National Injury Mortality Surveillance System (NIMS) (2009), the leading cause of death amongst youths aged 15 to 24 is violence. In addition, due to the high prevalence rate of HIV amongst youths of the same age, it can be concluded that illness and possibly suicide also contribute to the causes of death of a close friend among university undergraduate students. Furthermore, the South African Medical Research Council found that South Africa’s injury death rate, in 2010, was nearly twice the global average (Parliamentary Monitoring Group, 2011). This suggests that one is more likely to lose a close friend in South Africa than in most other countries.
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