Assessment of Test Anxiety, Psychological Distress and Academic Motivation among Pharmacy Students in a Private University of Malaysia Pharmacy Students’ Test Anxiety
International Pharmacy Acta,
Vol. 8 No. 1 (2025),
6 Farvardin 2025
,
Page e5: 1-8
Abstract
Psychological well-being is an essential factor to ensure an excellent academic performance during undergraduate studies. Students are exposed to a wide range of stressors during their study period, including assignment submission and examination, the latter being related to test anxiety and associated with psychological distress and amotivation among students. To assess the prevalence of test anxiety and psychological distress among pharmacy students in a private university, in addition to determining the association among test anxiety, psychological distress and academic motivation. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using a combination questionnaire that consisted of 10 items from the Westside Test Anxiety Scale (WTAS), additional items from the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, and 28 items from the Academic Motivation Scale, distributed online to all undergraduate pharmacy students enrolled in the 2022-23 academic session. A total of 179 responses were received, yielding a response rate of 56%. The overall prevalence of test anxiety and psychological distress was estimated at 54.19% and 61.45%, respectively. Findings revealed that a significant correlation exists between the cumulative scores of test anxiety and psychological distress (r = 0.56, p<0.0001). Pharmacy students in the private university experienced a high level of test anxiety along with a high level of psychological distress. Therefore, efforts to reduce test anxiety and their psychological distress should be made to optimise students’ learning experience during their pharmacy program.
- test anxiety
- psychological distress
- amotivation
- pharmacy undergraduates
- Malaysia
How to Cite
References
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