A Questionnaire Dataset on Perceived Stress in Indian Higher Education Students during Emergency Remote Learning

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a sudden shift to Emergency Remote Learning, significantly impacting students’ mental health. This study visualizes and analyses various stressors contributing to stress levels among university students during Emergency Remote Learning and explores how different factors from environmental and instructional mediums contribute to their perceived stress. Method: Data was collected through a cross-sectional survey using the Modified Perceived Stress Scale and an additional set of 20 Likert scale items on Emergency Remote Learning. One-sample t-tests were performed to assess the consistency of responses across questionnaire items, and correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationships between different stressors. Frequency distributions were also analyzed to capture the prevalence of stress levels across demographic, environmental, and instructional variables. Conclusion: The study revealed that frequent thoughts about unaccomplished tasks were associated with high stress (14.12%). Other factors include feeling nervous and stressed, feeling things that are not going their way, and difficulties piling up significantly elevated stress levels. Items specific to Emergency Remote Learning revealed that a sudden shift to Remote Learning heavily influenced students’ mental well-being. Additionally, demographic analysis showed that students aged 21 experienced the highest stress levels. Living arrangements, internet connectivity, and the impact of COVID-19 on close affinities further contributed to stress. This study underscores the complexity of stress during Emergency Remote Learning. It emphasizes the need for institutions to address psychological and instructional factors to support students better during remote learning environments.