Association Between Iron Deficiency Anemia and Perceived Academic Stress Among Medical Technology Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65166/aqr9es06Keywords:
academic stress, hematologic status, iron deficiency anemia, medical technology students, PASS, student healthAbstract
Iron deficiency anemia may affect fatigue, concentration, physical functioning, and cognitive performance, while academic stress is a common concern among students enrolled in demanding health-sciences programs. This study examined the association between iron-deficiency-related hematologic status and perceived academic stress among third-year Medical Technology students. A quantitative correlational design was employed. Students were initially screened using predefined eligibility criteria, after which 126 qualified participants proceeded to laboratory assessment involving hemoglobin and hematocrit testing, with ferritin evaluation included in the clinical protocol. Perceived academic stress was measured using the 18-item Perceptions of Academic Stress Scale (PASS). Among the 126 participants, 76 (60.3%) had normal hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, whereas 50 (39.7%) had low levels. Perceived academic stress was evident across all three measured dimensions; faculty work and examinations obtained the highest mean (M = 3.79), followed by academic self-perception (M = 3.67) and academic expectations (M = 3.57), with an overall mean of 3.68. Correlation analysis yielded a statistically significant but negligible inverse association (r = -.159, p = .005). The findings indicate that hematologic status and perceived academic stress were statistically associated in this student population, although the magnitude was very small. The results support integrated attention to student health monitoring and academic stress management and warrant further longitudinal research using broader samples and more precise physiological measures.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mildred F. Collado, Jian Dominique M. Co, Cheryl Nicole C. Dalida, Katherine Nicole F. Draguin, Wins Dionnes A. Eruma, Jocelyn Francisco, Karen Angela A. Frogoso, Danica Marie T. Galiste, Leah Quinto, PhD (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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