EFFECT OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION, STRESS AND BURNOUT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF UNDERGRADUATES STUDENTS OF BENUE STATE UNIVERSITY

Abstract

Sleep deprivation, also known as insufficient sleep or sleeplessness, is the condition of not having
enough sleep while stress is an individual's response to change in circumstance or to a threatening
situation and Burnout is a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors. It is
defined by the three dimensions of exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy. This study, therefore,
investigated the effect of sleep deprivation, stress and burnout on the academic performance of
undergraduate students of Benue State University, Makurdi. The study employed a cross-sectional
research design. The population of the study comprise all 18,729 undergraduate students of Benue State
University, Makurdi. A total of 384 participants were sampled for the study. The participants were
sampled using the multistage sampling technique. The instruments used for data collection were
Chronic Sleep Reduction Questionnaire (CSRQ), Students’ Stress Rating Scale (SSRS), and Maslach
Burnout Inventory – Student Survey (MBI-SS). The data collected were analysed using descriptive
statistics of mean and standard deviation and Regression analysis to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level
of significance. The results of the study revealed that: Sleep deprivation has a significant effect on
students’ academic performance [R2 = .215, F = 104.402, β = .463, p < .05]; The stress level among
the students is generally moderate (105.16). Stress had a significant effect on students’ academic
performance [R2 = .185, F = 7.083, β = -.430, p < .05]. The three subscales of burnout, emotional
exhaustion, cynicism and academic efficacy all had mean scores of 15.06, 12.03 and 7.93 respectively.
There was a high level of burnout among the students. Results available also show that burnout has a
significant effect on students’ academic performance [R2 = .123, F = 4.741, β = -.351, P< .05]. Based
on the findings of the study, it was concluded that sleep deprivation has a significant positive effect on
students’ academic performance while stress and burnout both have negative effects on students’
academic performance. The study recommended that stakeholders in education should ensure to
provide a good academic environment to minimize academic stress and improve students’ academic
performance.