Abstract
Student enrolment in third-level part-time courses in Ireland is increasing each year, yet research on their experiences is limited. The current research aimed to study stress, anxiety, and self-efficacy among part-time students with regards to their age, employment status and social support. A cross-sectional and correlational design with convenient sampling was employed and 103 part-time students responded to the questionnaire. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 and The Coping Self-Efficacy Scale were used to gather self-report responses. The analyses indicate that age but not employment status, has a significant impact on stress and anxiety levels. Age was also a significant predictor of stress and anxiety while social support was correlated to and a predictor of self-efficacy. The results imply that young part-time students in their 20’s are more vulnerable to high levels of stress and anxiety. Limitations and implications for future research were addressed.
